Printfile negative sleeves (local Australian dealer?)

[Ian David]

Morning fellow Australians
Does anybody know of anywhere here that stocks the Printfile neg sleeves in the so-called "international multi-hole version"? The sleeves stocked by B&H and other US dealers are punched to fit only a 3-ring binder, whereas the multi-hole version will fit the 4-ring binders which I use. I like Printfile stuff and bought my last lot in London when I was over there a couple of years ago.
I have enquired from Printfile about them shipping some sleeves to me direct but their postage rates are astronomical (even after I contacted them by email) and don't even seem to come down much with increasing volume...
Many thanks if anyone knows of a local supplier.
Ian

 

[Michael W]

I think that Foto Riesel in Kent St, Sydney are the local distributor. They certainly sell them in their shop. I haven't checked the holes as I store my neg sleeves loose in boxes without the rings.

 

[fenderslash]

I bought some multi-hole-format ones online from Vanbar recently. But to do mail orders from them you really need to be stocking up on a fair bit of stuff to make the freight economical.

 

[Oxleyroad]

Ian, I have been buying from B&H and punching the 4 holes myself. Is this an option?

 

[Ian David]

Thanks for the responses guys. I spoke to Foto Riesel a few days ago and they didn't stock the sleeves I want. Vanbar don't have Printfile stuff listed in their online shop, but maybe worth a call...

Andy, yes I have been punching holes in another lot of sleeves I bought from B&H. So it is certainly an option. I was just hoping that someone around here might stock the pre-punched ones, as it would be one small job that I would no longer have to worry about. Given that the multi-punched sleeves are actually manufactured by Printfile, and are presumably useful to quite a few people, it surprises me that they are not more widely available... Oh well. Might just have to keep punching my own!

Ian

 

[ras351]

There are 4 hole ones on the Silverprint site. Might be an option if you don't mind importing from the UK. No idea how comparable the prices are though.

Roger.

 

[cluttered]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why not use Albox sleeves instead?

 

[Ian David]

There are 4 hole ones on the Silverprint site. Might be an option if you don't mind importing from the UK. No idea how comparable the prices are though.

Roger.

Thanks Roger. Silverprint's sleeves are a bit pricey, and they also have a minimum international order amount of 100 quid. But that was where I got my last lot of multi-punched sleeves when I was last in the old country...

Ian

 

[Ian David]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why not use Albox sleeves instead?

I am very happy with Printfile sleeves, and would rather keep using them.

 

[cluttered]

I am very happy with Printfile sleeves, and would rather keep using them.

Sounds reasonable to me!

 

[munz6869]

I ordered a heap of sleeves from Printfile just a fortnight ago - 200 4x5's, 200 70mm's & 200 120 format. That will keep me going for a while... And was a rather heavy box, with rather expensive shipping :-( After umming and aah-ing for a few months, I really couldn't put it off much longer though, because I was either running out (or had nothing to store 70mm negs in), and (like Ian) didn't really want to go to another type of sleeve...

On a good note - the shipping to Melbourne was quite speedy - around 10 days

Marc!

 

[hoffy]

Why do you guys like the Printfile (apart from the holes)? I buy what ever I can get, which at times causes issues and me having to punch new holes.

That being said, when ever I see the Vue-All sleeves, I tend to get them as a preference.

 

[Ian David]

Why do you guys like the Printfile (apart from the holes)?

Without wanting to sound religious about this (or maybe just a little bit ):
- I have been using them for a number of years now, and they do not show any signs of deterioration whatsoever. They are very well made and do not appear to tear or split. The rings in my ring binder never tear through their edges either.
- I like the white strip at the top of each sheet for my notes.
- The slots are just the right size... I find that I can easily slide my negs into them, but my negs never fall out of them.
- Most of my negs are now in Printfile sleeves, and I like it that the pages in my negative storage boxes are all exactly the same size (for each film format). So I can easily flip through them like the pages of a book if I want to find a particular sheet.
- By all accounts, they are truly archival.
- I can make decent contact sheets through them.
- They seem very popular, so it seems likely that they will continue to be available in their current form for quite a while.

Ian

 

[Ian David]

OK, I am going to order some Printfile sleeves (quite a few) direct from Printfile at the end of this week. If anybody wants some stuff from them while I am at it, and is happy to share an order, let me know!

Ian