Photo Paper Recommendations

Have not done paper developing since early 70's, and do not remember any thing Looking for decent priced 8x10 paper, sure to have some flubs at first. Would like to find a mixed pack, glossy, matte, etc. My youngest daughter gave me one of her enlargers, some 5x7 Ilford paper and Ilford chemicals. Any advice or recommendations would be most welcome.

I don't know about mixed packs of glossy and matte, but probably the cheapest paper available is Arista EDU Ultra, a house brand of Freestyle. It isn't bad paper either.

You could try picking out a couple small packs (25) of Ilford RC paper. If you cut your 8x10's into 3 or 4 test strips, that will give you some leeway to get things right.

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I use this stuff myself.

RC glossy and pearl are pretty similar except for the surface texture. I feel they are a bit thinner than Ilford's. Otherwise, they behave very similarly.

FB matte and glossy are entirely different from each other. Glossy is neutral toned and matte is warm toned. Former does not toning that much but latter tones very well. Matte has a slight green cast, so if you want a neutral tone, you'd need to selenium tone a bit. Matte version is about 2 stops slower than glossy. Glossy version is pretty fast. Matte isn't as matte as matte could be. I see it more like semi-matte.

You also can't go wrong with Ilford products. I use that too. Paper stock is a bit thicker than Adorama versions - which is nice. MGIV has very neutral tone, which is also nice. Doesn't seem to tone that well, unless you are using warm tone paper. Very nice yellowish base.

I didn't like Arista EDU that much.... I went through 3 packs of those.... thin stock and corner tended to separate a bit. I didn't think black got as dark as they could.... Can't beat the price, however.... Fine for playing around and contact sheets but not for good prints.

Thanks guys for your impute on paper. I used Ilford chemicals when I was doing my own 35 b/w film. My daughter was trying to get a pro shop up and running, so I gave her all my 35mm film stuff. This year she has taken care of me, I did have to butter her up with a Bronica SQ-A kit, then she gave me back my Ricoh Diacord L. She's a great gal and loves photography what more could a man ask. A few years ago she was asking me questions, now I ask her:^)














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Arista EDU Ultra is really super nice paper. It's actually Fomabrom Variant 111 (glossy), 112 (matte). Beautiful stuff that prints with awesome blacks, and a slightly off white base for warm highlights, particularly in dilute or Warmtone developers. It tones incredibly well if you're into that.
Here's an example of the matte version.

Really like your image Thomas, that is the look I have always wanted to capture. Could you explain Warmtone developers, is that a brand bought off the shelf or something that must be cooked up? I spent 2 weeks with my daughter, she uses Kodak chemicals and mainly Ilford paper. She got me comfortable with the enlarger, but we could use the same negative and developers and hers always looked better:^)

Warmtone developers - I don't know how to get there chemically, but Ilford makes one, you could use Zonal Pro Warmtone, which is like Ansco 120, etc. There are chemists here that know far more about that than I.

The picture I posted is basically just to insure you that even with budget paper, like Arista EDU Ultra (fiber) you can make prints that are very good. Believe it or not, once you have chosen your paper, this remains a constant in your system. Developer is likely best kept the same, at least to begin. But to really reap the benefit of the paper, you need to make good negatives that print well on that paper. That is the real secret of all of this.

RC paper: Illford MG VC paper is classic and nice and flexible regarding chemical treatment. It might not be the most economical, but it certainly is not the most expensive. They produce this in standard and double weight. I prefer the standard weight, and the standard weight is less expensive than the double weight. The paper finish is a personal preference. I prefer pearl, Glossy is okay, and I do not like matte. To retouch, Spotone 3. Since Spotone 3 is no longer produced, Marshall's neutral black is supposed to be the standard replacement. Be careful here, there is a blue undertone with Marshall's neutral black.

FB paper: Again, Illford MG VC FB paper is nice. It's not the cheapest but it's not the most expensive either. The warm and cool tones are both great. To retouch: Cool - Spotone 3. Warm - Spotone 0. As with Spotone 3, 0 is no longer made. Marshall's olive replacement is okay.

FB paper alternatives: Classic Oriental. This paper has a stellar tone. Bergger FB paper is beautiful fine art photographic paper. The mill in France does an amazing job and the paper feels nice in the hand. Oriental and Bergger are more expensive than Illford. The higher cost is validated by the quality.

Good luck!

Thomas and ajs77306, thank you for your help. Real excited about getting underway. Just having to wait for payday.