New Foma 532 Paper!

Martin Reed

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More funerals than christenings in photo materials, it's almost unknown for there to be a new b&w photo paper - when it happens, & it's a good one I reckon there's cause for serious celebration. This is the replacement for the discontinued Fomatone 'Nature', still with the same name, but the code is now 532 ll Shipment of the first batch just received.

On first tests it's a more useful paper than its predecessor, and is quite different. The previous base had a significant texture, and was approaching matt. The new one is smoother, with a high degree of surface sheen, warmtone with dense blacks. Visually it looks very like 'satin' finish, but is a genuine FB paper, 246 gsm with high rigidity. I suppose it's a throwback to maybe 'smooth lustre'?

Sizes are 9.5x12", 12x16", 16x20", 20x24", a bit more at this URL, no data anywhere at the moment, but the emulsion is covered by the normal Fomatone sheet, downloadable from the same page.

http://www.silverprint.co.uk/paper13.html
 
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Martin Reed

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It's a natural white, ie slightly warm to complement the emulsion. I have been a little economic of the truth above, there is also a replacement on the same base for the 'Chamois', now retitled 'Chamois ll'

However the Chamois is quite heavily yellow pigmented; Chamois was the original paper, and the whiter 'Nature' came much later. As soon as the 'Nature' was available it began to outsell the 'Chamois' by about 9:1, so we don't intend to stock the new Chamois ll at the outset, but treat it as special order. Of course, if there IS a big demand for Chamois ll we will certainly stock it, but I think the vast majority will prefer 'Nature ll'. It's really nice, and it's the first time for years I've felt really enthusiastic about a new product - & something being added rather than taken away!
 

Thomas Bertilsson

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I am very excited about this, and will probably try it out during the summer. Thanks for the heads' up, Martin! It seems that the Foma papers are the ones that vanish the quickest from my stash.
Just to make sure, so the 542 would now be the 542 II???
- Thomas
 
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Martin Reed

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We'll do some lith tests today, but I can't envisage any problem, it's the same emulsion set-up as the other papers in the Fomatone range.

I expect Freestyle are in the same position us us & would like to turn their original 542 over before ordering the 542 ll !

But as I said, they are different papers, it's not a seamless transition. However the new papers do offer a viable alternative to 'glossy unglazed', unlike the original papers.
 

athanasius80

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I would love to see samples of both new papers. Martin, could you post some of the new 532 and new 542?

Thanks!
 
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Martin Reed

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Prints on Fomatone 532

Here are some prints on the 532 at last;

No 1, angled to try to show the surface sheen of the paper;

2, Straight print with Neutol WA warm working dev;

3, Lith print, Fotospeed lith developer;

Mike Crawford is going to do a full review which should be printed in BW Magazine, although it will be 2-3 months before this is out.
 

tim rudman

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Good news Martin
I can't see the pics though. Did you forget to attach or is it me missing something?
I'll include an update in my lith news letter soon. It's probably time to compile a complete new list of materials for lith printing now I think. The market changed a lot shortly after the new list in WOLP was published and so I posted updates to my mailing list, but hasn't moved much for some time now so I have held fire as possible other new developments were in the offing.
Tim
 
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Martin Reed

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This time!

Having another try;

Surface quality, print angled;


Straight warm-developed print;


Light and dark lith prints;

 

vic vic

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great news ... me too, very happy that something added and not the other way ... especially with b/w papers, cause with film there is some activity (adox, foma, maco, kodak now with new tmax400 that i just used a week ago and loved the T-emulsion for the first time)...

foma supported/sponsored one of my fine art exhibitions in europe in 2007. i used their papers for the first time then (normally, ilford user and the remaining agfa boxes). there is no foma dealer in israel so they sent me all the papers i needed directly. papers are of very high quality and i really loved the results rite from the first sight (warmtone 132 and variant 111). i have not used the chmois/nature papers yet, but here is a good reminder - from martin reeds description and pics it looks promising and im even exited a bit lith looks very good too...
i also loved the description that the paper is more general purpose. many times i wanted a paper that falls inbetween the art-classic and the ilford MGW-semimatt ... for normal developer and lith too.
 

djkloss

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The lith looks nice. I would like to see a selenium/sepia split. I like the 132 cream base (I think that's what it is) for toning. I waited too long for the chamois. It seemed like it was gone over night. Why was the textured one discontinued?
 

Gary Holliday

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djkloss said:
The lith looks nice. I would like to see a selenium/sepia split. I like the 132 cream base (I think that's what it is) for toning. I waited too long for the chamois. It seemed like it was gone over night. Why was the textured one discontinued?
Click to expand...

The textured paper base is no longer in production hence the reason why Kentmere's Art range and Foma Chamois papers have had to look for alternative bases. If texture is important the only one left is Bergger Fine Art Portrait (Silver Supreme).
 
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