Square fibre paper ?? (ilford?)

Sim2 · Dec 5, 2009

Hi there,

I saw recently (or imagined I saw ) pre-cut square black and white fibre paper mentioned. Has anyone any info on availability?

I think that it was mentioned that Ilford produce Multigrade fibre base in non-standard sizes once a year and once sold - that's it for the year. Is this true or am I imagining a marketing strategy that doesn't exist?!!

10"x10" or 12"x12" paper is what interests me at the moment - I know I could cut down other sizes but..... the wasteage and time taken etc.

Imagination or reality - you tell me!
Cheers,
Sim.

el wacho · Dec 5, 2009

i checked it out at the calumet website and it was only rc.

Roger Thoms · Dec 5, 2009

Take rectangular paper, cut it square and use the off cuts for test strips.

Roger

el wacho · Dec 5, 2009

10,13,16,20,25,32,40,51...

Sim2 · Dec 5, 2009

rtbadman said:
Take rectangular paper, cut it square and use the off cuts for test strips.

Roger

Yeah, that's the normal thing to do - just had a "lazy" thought of being able to pick up pre-cut paper! Knowing me I wouldn't get the cut square anyway!

Roger Thoms · Dec 5, 2009

Sim2 said:
Yeah, that's the normal thing to do - just had a "lazy" thought of being able to pick up pre-cut paper! Knowing me I wouldn't get the cut square anyway!

One of the best investment I've made it to buy a Rototrim. They are very accurate especially if you set the stop.

Roger

brian steinberger · Dec 5, 2009

I would love it if Ilford produced atleast one square size in MGIV and MGWT FB. Maybe 10x10 or 12x12? Simon?

Sim2 · Dec 5, 2009

brian steinberger said:
I would love it if Ilford produced atleast one square size in MGIV and MGWT FB. Maybe 10x10 or 12x12? Simon?

Can we start a petition for this one.......?

Sign up here folks!

Anon Ymous · Dec 5, 2009

Sim2 said:
Can we start a petition for this one.......?

Sign up here folks!

Sorry for being such a killjoy, but have a look (there was a url link here which no longer exists).

2F/2F · Dec 5, 2009

The paper is (or at least was) made by Ilford. I have seen it in their catalog. However, every time this comes up, I am surprised by the number of people who want pre-cut square paper. Cripes! Just get a paper cutter and cut down your 4:5 paper. It is not wasteful in any way. In fact, it is less so than using special pre-cut square paper. You want test strips anyhow, right? Laziness? If you are too lazy to cut some sheets of paper, find a new hobby.

Alex Bishop-Thorpe · Dec 6, 2009

This comes up an awful lot, surprisingly. I agree, a decent paper cutter is a very good investment for your workspace no matter who you are, personally I like the guillotine variety. It doesnt take much practice at all.

John Irvine · Dec 6, 2009

For most of my 6X6 negatives I like to print the square at the top of an 8X10 sheet and leave about 2 inches of white at the bottom. When that doesn't look right, I trim off the bottom to make the sheet square.

Something about the broad white margin on the bottom appeals to me. And nobody ever flips the picture around asking "what's up and what's down".

keithwms · Dec 6, 2009

Buy roll paper and cut it as you go...? Don't Ilford offer most of their papers in roll form? (through Wynit, I guess)

eddym · Dec 6, 2009

John Irvine said:
For most of my 6X6 negatives I like to print the square at the top of an 8X10 sheet and leave about 2 inches of white at the bottom. When that doesn't look right, I trim off the bottom to make the sheet square.

Something about the broad white margin on the bottom appeals to me. And nobody ever flips the picture around asking "what's up and what's down".

Yup. Me too.

George Collier · Dec 6, 2009

I'm with 2F/2F, though not quite so strident. I would be willing to buy 16x20 paper and cut for all other sizes (with my 50 year old Nikkor Trimmer) if the manufacturer would save production costs (only one size box, etc) and pass them on to me. Our choices are already diminishing, and this is one choice I can live without to keep the stuff coming.

pentaxuser · Dec 6, 2009

Given the number of square MF cameras, you'd think that square paper would be more popular but it seems not. You might want some test strips but with 8 x10 and a square of, say, 7.5 x 7.5 you end up with a lot of test strips. The half inch on the 8 side isn't much good and the 2.5 inch on the 10 side is very long and thin. I'd be inclined to buy a pack of 6x4 of the same paper and use that for test strips. They can always be used for postcards as well with an adhesive pre-printed backing strip

However we can "rail against the dying of the light" as much as we like but if demand doesn't warrant square paper then it isn't going to happen.

Try Simon by all means or simply contact Harman via the "contact us " section on the Harman site. I got a pretty unequivocal answer from Simon on bigger packs of Perceptol and I suggested that customer services be more frank even if it isn't what the customer wants to hear.

Your query might be a good test of whether Simon's frankness has filtered down.

pentaxuser

keithwms · Dec 6, 2009

pentaxuser said:
Given the number of square MF cameras, you'd think that square paper would be more popular but it seems not.

... and let me point out that almost all of the images on the Ilford paper boxes are squares... :rolleyes:

brian steinberger · Dec 6, 2009

keithwms said:
... and let me point out that almost all of the images on the Ilford paper boxes are squares... :rolleyes:

Haha... so true Keith! Never thought of that. Good call!

Martin Reed · Dec 7, 2009

George Collier said:
.... I would be willing to buy 16x20 paper and cut for all other sizes (with my 50 year old Nikkor Trimmer) if the manufacturer would save production costs (only one size box, etc) and pass them on to me. Our choices are already diminishing, and this is one choice I can live without to keep the stuff coming.

More than 10 years ago Agfa Record Rapid used to come in a 16x20" 100 sheet box, which was very popular amongst the (then) large community of labs in London, especially as the price was pretty good. Any interest in seeing that size box again but with Harman papers?

Tom Kershaw · Dec 7, 2009

Martin,

As a user of ILFOBROM GALERIE papers I would be interested in 100 sheet boxes assuming a cost saving over 50 sheet boxes.

Tom

Square fibre paper ?? (ilford?)

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