I just wanted to write a few lines to thank Ilford for the consistency and quality of their product. I am an amateur who tries very hard to create something that's of value to me, of the highest quality, and worthwhile. I want my prints to communicate strongly, to be something with deep impact, both visually and emotionally. This is my goal, and Ilford helps me get there.
On my darkroom shelf rests a couple of thousand sheets of paper. Many of them are expired and used for lith printing. But I'm running out of my staple, 11x14" and 16x20" Ilford MGIV matte fiber paper, and don't have any income to spare to buy more at the moment (buying a car is expensive). So to make the most of the stock that I have, I decided to use some 8x10 paper, of which I have plenty, to make the test prints that I make before I get down to business with the final print. It's a different size, and a different batch, yet between the 8x10 sheets and the 11x14/16x20 ones I can't tell any difference in speed or contrast. They are identical for all practical purposes.
I was expecting a little bit of difference between work print main exposure and contrast (on 8x10), and that of the final print (on 11x14 or 16x20), but NONE. Exactly the same. That sort of consistency, box to box, batch to batch, helps me keep cost down in the darkroom, and that is of vital importance to me. So thank you Ilford for making such good product. You're an amazing resource to the traditional black and white photographic community. Keep up the fantastic work!
On my darkroom shelf rests a couple of thousand sheets of paper. Many of them are expired and used for lith printing. But I'm running out of my staple, 11x14" and 16x20" Ilford MGIV matte fiber paper, and don't have any income to spare to buy more at the moment (buying a car is expensive). So to make the most of the stock that I have, I decided to use some 8x10 paper, of which I have plenty, to make the test prints that I make before I get down to business with the final print. It's a different size, and a different batch, yet between the 8x10 sheets and the 11x14/16x20 ones I can't tell any difference in speed or contrast. They are identical for all practical purposes.
I was expecting a little bit of difference between work print main exposure and contrast (on 8x10), and that of the final print (on 11x14 or 16x20), but NONE. Exactly the same. That sort of consistency, box to box, batch to batch, helps me keep cost down in the darkroom, and that is of vital importance to me. So thank you Ilford for making such good product. You're an amazing resource to the traditional black and white photographic community. Keep up the fantastic work!