Submitted for your approval........

[psychorobotape]

okay I think I've finally settled on a basic chem/paper combo to learn the ins/outs of printing with.

Film (delta 100/400): D-76/Ilfostop/Ilford rapid fixer
Paper (oriental seagull RC grade 2): Ilford Bromophen/Ilfostop/Ilford rapid fixer


Anybody forsee any problems with these combonations?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

No problem at all. Happy printing!

 

[jovo]

The Oriental RC is one of the few RC papers I've seen that looks very similar to air dried glossy fiber base paper. You will really enjoy your results. Best wishes for a good outcome.

 

[Ian Grant]

Someone has to Dis-approve

Your film / developer combination is fine, although Xtol is possibly a better developer than D76, it's more modern.

However your paper choice is perhaps a little limiting as you've opted for a graded paper. You may find this problematic as you'll have no leeway for flat or contrasty negatives.

I haven't used Oriental papers for quite a while and am not familiar with their Variable contrast papers. I'd suggest Ilford Multigrade as a good paper to begin with.

Ian

 

[Roger Hicks]

Oh, dear, won't work at all. You should use Kodak Super-XX developed for 13-3/4 minutes at 65 degrees C in Champlin 15 and printed on Defender Velours at full moon...

Seriously, should all work fine. Ignore anyone who tries the kind of BS in the para above. Have fun!

 

[laverdure]

I prefer to print during the new moon, personally. Less risk of light leaks...

 

[Roger Hicks]

I prefer to print during the new moon, personally. Less risk of light leaks...

Yes, but the tidal pull makes the agitation more difficult...

 

[gainer]

Where I live the air is so clear that starlight causes problems in the dark of the moon..

 

[Jim Chinn]

Sounds good. If this is your first foray into printing stick with RC for awhile. Faster to process, less wash and drying time and they dry flat with little dry down. When you get comfortable you can work with fiber base it you choose.

Work with the combination for 50 to 100 rolls of film and then you will have a good working base of knowledge from which to judge changes in paper, film and developers later.

 

[Neal]

Dear psychorobotape,

For the obvious reason (and I apologize if you've considered this already) I would suggest going with a variable contrast paper to begin with.

Have fun!

Neal Wydra

 

[pentaxuser]

Oh, dear, won't work at all. You should use Kodak Super-XX developed for 13-3/4 minutes at 65 degrees C in Champlin 15 and printed on Defender Velours at full moon...

Seriously, should all work fine. Ignore anyone who tries the kind of BS in the para above. Have fun!

Roger The first para is only BS because you forgot to mention the vital Romanian virgins which you had included in a previous post to guarantee success.

There are gems of info to be had but it requires we seekers of the Grail to be ever vigilant

pentaxuser

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

We're down to opinions again. Trying to be objective, printing on graded paper might help to begin with, as far as understanding how negatives must be processed to suit a paper. It is a GREAT lesson in understanding plus and minus negative development, to reduce or build contrast based on the lighting conditions.
I say - go with it. Have fun. You've chosen fine materials.
- Thomas

 

[Vaughn]

Personally, I would have started out with a variable contrast paper -- but then one would have the additional expense of buying the filters (unless one already has a color enlarger). One reason I recommend a VC paper is so that one can see the differences of printing a single negative at different contrasts -- being able to compare prints side-by-side is a good learning tool for understanding print contrast.

But you can always buy a pack of Grade 3 or some VC paper later if you find you need it or want to experiment with it.

Most of all, have fun!!!

Vaughn

 

[Roger Hicks]

We're down to opinions again.

Exactly. I'd have chosen HP5, DDX and MG WT, but that wasn't the question.

 

[Vaughn]

Exactly. I'd have chosen HP5, DDX and MG WT, but that wasn't the question.

But what was the question, Roger? Perhaps I read the OP incorrectly, but I read it as pyschorobotape wanting to learn the ins and outs of printing, and asking for opinions concerning his choice of materials to do so. Surely the choice of graded or variable contrast paper falls into the parameters of his inquiry?

regards,

Vaughn

 

[Roger Hicks]

But what was the question, Roger? . . . Surely the choice of graded or variable contrast paper falls into the parameters of his inquiry?

Dear Vaughn,

Yes and no. He will certainly be able to learn from his choices. But as soon as the rest of start making suggestions, the thread will disappear into one of those awful 'what's best?' black holes. I assume he'd thought hard about it, and chosen graded deliberately (not the right choice in my opinion, but I give him credit for having thought about it).

The simple truth is that it doesn't matter very much which mainstream film, paper and chemistry he chooses: the thing to avoid at first (and indeed for the rest of time, in my opinion) is obscure materials and faddish techniques.

Cheers,

R.

 

[GeoffHill]

I picked Ilford MGIV resin coated when I started printing a very short while ago. However, as it's the only paper I've ever used, I'm unable to say if it is a better, or worse choice than picking a single grade paper

 

[psychorobotape]

Thanks for all the info so far guys! I've chosen to use graded paper Because I feel this will force me to focus more on controlling the negative through proper exposure and development without being tempted just to rely on variable contrast controls. Another question though:

Is there a shortage of 8x10/11x14 Grade 2 matte paper? I've checked every dealer listed on Oriental's website (b&h, freestyle, adorama, calumet, etc) for some but there is none to be found (plenty of glossy etc). In fact, the only 8x10 or 11x14 MATTE Grd2 paper I can find anywhere is the Arista edu at freestyle and I've heard negative things about this paper. Central Camera supposedly had some seagull but when I ordered it they emailed me to tell me it was out of stock. Similarly everywhere else it is listed as out of stock or special order. Whats going on with this crazy paper shortage?? :confused:

 

[Vaughn]

You might have caught Oriental at the end of their production run. A bummer if you are after this particular paper's look. You might want to query Oriental through their website about availability...they might be getting ready to do another run of it...or even abandon it as the demand for graded RC paper is relatively low (compared to VC paper).

Just for the sake of availability, you might want to go with a VC paper -- and force yourself to use it without filters...which would still give you the experiece of fine-tuning your negatives. Then once you have your negs fine-tuned, then you can use the filters to fine-tune your printing without having to change papers.

But best of luck finding the paper you want!

Vaughn

 

[Silverhead]

Freestyle carries Slavich graded matte paper from Russia. I have seen the matte finish, and it is very, very flat. Nice old-school look to the images, not unlike EMAKS. It's available in grades 2,3 & 4 in multiple sizes, according to their web site.