Paper availability in 2030?

[Existing Light]

if you're worrying about it so much,


just don't go into debt to feed your hobbies, its not worth it.

-Dan

I wish I had followed that advice. I bought an enlarger and a Pentax K1000 with a credit card. Good thing is I have a job with enough money coming in to pay for it. Bad thing is I wasnt making enough to pay it off in a month or two, so the good deal I got is being eaten up by interest charges. At least it's not collecting dust. I'm actually using it

 

[2F/2F]

How the heck do you buy a K1000 with a credit card? Was it N.O.S. or somethin'?

 

[2F/2F]

John

When you ask for opinions, you get opinions. No one on the planet can say what will happen next year, let along twenty years out.


Mike

In 1990, how would we have answered the thread "Paper availability in 2010"?

P.S. The real answer is: We would not have. We did not have the Internet, so we did not have "threads". (Therefore we certainly did not communicate with each other! ) Let's not mind this little fact when thinking about the answer, however.

Yes, 20 years is a long-ass time when it comes to certain things.

 

[L Gebhardt]

How the heck do you buy a K1000 with a credit card? Was it N.O.S. or somethin'?

Ebay/PayPal and KEH take credit cards. Every used photo item I buy goes on a credit card (which is paid off every month).

 

[cbphoto]

If you keep buying it, it has a better chance.

 

[DanielStone]

sorry for pissing anyone off. I guess I'm feeling a bit down at the moment, so I spewed a little too much...

oops.

I hope that materials will be around in 20 years, I don't know if I could make them, not really my thing...

-Dan

 

[erikg]

LOL worrying about paper in 2030. I worry more about tungsten light globe availability. Without a tungsten globe your paper is useless until someone figures out a new light source with LED.

If your worried about paper availability you could stock up ?

Lots of cold light heads out there. My paper works great with one, Although my prints may still be useless. LED light sources already exist, and I'd bet will get better, if there still is some demand.

 

[Existing Light]

How the heck do you buy a K1000 with a credit card? Was it N.O.S. or somethin'?

Got it at at Unclaimed Baggage center in Scottsboro, Alabama. Yeah, I know I should have waited until I had cash, but I didn't. It's one of those live and learn things, except I knew when I did it that it wasnt the best idea. I guess that makes it a 'live with your stupid decisions' kind of thing. At least I use it more than I expected to (same goes with the enlarger and the related equipment that came with it)

 

[DLawson]

In 1990, how would we have answered the thread "Paper availability in 2010"?

P.S. The real answer is: We would not have. We did not have the Internet, so we did not have "threads". (Therefore we certainly did not communicate with each other! )

You youngsters may not have. But I was connected to the Internet backbone in 1990 and had countless (Usenet) threads of discussion. Some even less productive than this one.

 

[2F/2F]

You youngsters may not have. But I was connected to the Internet backbone in 1990 and had countless (Usenet) threads of discussion. Some even less productive than this one.

Heck. I never even used a PC until 1996, and did not actually own one till 2002, so I have had the Internet for eight years. I am still using that same computer, BTW, and added an Apple laptop that I inherited two years ago. I won't get a new computer until both of my current ones break down. They are obviously not something on which I place a lot of importance.

 

[Marvin]

We haven't used horses as a main transportation mode for about 100 years but you can still get horse shoes.

 

[2F/2F]

We haven't used horses as a main transportation mode for about 100 years but you can still get horse shoes.

That is because horses still exist (the outdated old buggers just keep having sex), and they needs 'em some shoes!

 

[wogster]

In 1990, how would we have answered the thread "Paper availability in 2010"?

P.S. The real answer is: We would not have. We did not have the Internet, so we did not have "threads". (Therefore we certainly did not communicate with each other! ) Let's not mind this little fact when thinking about the answer, however.

Yes, 20 years is a long-ass time when it comes to certain things.

In 1990 you would have used either Usenet at a University or Fidonet on dialup from home, you ran a script that did a mail toss, to get bulletin board messages, and yes there was threaded message streams even then.

 

[wogster]

I'm 48 years old and I worry about availability of photographic paper much more than availability of film over the next 20 years. Chemicals can always be mixed from recipes. This issue with paper is a huge concern for myself. Is it safe to speculate that in 10 years I will still have access to (at least) 30+ inch wide rolls of warm and cool VC FB pager, from a major manufacturer? I assume small sheets will go first, then graded, then larger sheets and in the end we might be left with long rolls that would need to be cut down. I could live with rolls if it gets me an additional 10 years till 2030. When I'm 68 maybe I'm tired and develop new interests. Maybe digital printers start producing images equal to or better than traditional using scanned film.

Considering that even most digital only labs use chemical process paper for printing, there is a good possibility that printing paper will be around for a while yet. It's easier to produce a 2 layer B&W paper then a many layer colour paper, so as long as the machinery to make paper is needed for colour processes, then B&W paper can be made.

Paper though is less of an issue then film, film can always be scanned and scanner technology is continuing to improve. Even if you can't traditionally print your film and need to use digital print technology, then you can still get a print from film. Getting a negative from digital, is much harder.

 

[2F/2F]

In 1990 you would have used either Usenet at a University or Fidonet on dialup from home, you ran a script that did a mail toss, to get bulletin board messages, and yes there was threaded message streams even then.

Well, then...where are they? I want to see what the answer to this question 20 years ago was!

 

[cbphoto]

Paper though is less of an issue then film, film can always be scanned and scanner technology is continuing to improve. r.

Really? I think scanner technology advances dropped dead years ago. CCD scans are not suffiicient, and drum scans never became available for home use. Plus, you still can't get the same feel from a digi print as you get from a real fiber print. This is coming from a guy whose workflow was based on Imacon scans for the last few years.

The pseudo-improvements in scanner technology have been to take flawed approaches and market them to consumer flatbed buyers.