Thin RC Glossy Paper?

[analog65]

Does anyone know which RC glossy paper is the thinnest available on the market right now?

Thanks

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why?

 

[munz6869]

Slavich makes the only single weight paper I could find, but it's FB. Beautiful stuff though!

Marc!

 

[Anon Ymous]

I don't know what the thinnest RC paper is, but Foma's Fomaspeed Variant is on a thinner base than Ilford's.

 

[analog65]

Thanks, I will give that a try! I appreciate the tip.

I don't know what the thinnest RC paper is, but Foma's Fomaspeed Variant is on a thinner base than Ilford's.

 

[analog65]

Hi, that could be helpful. I will see if I can locate some. Thanks!!

Slavich makes the only single weight paper I could find, but it's FB. Beautiful stuff though!

Marc!

 

[analog65]

paper negatives

Why?

 

[Anon Ymous]

paper negatives

Yet another reason to favor Foma then. They're definitely not safe with a yellow green safelight and fog instantly, while Ilford's paper needs quite some time to show any fog. In other words, they offer wider spectral sensitisation.

 

[Paul Howell]

Hi, that could be helpful. I will see if I can locate some. Thanks!!

B&H and Adromdra (SP) both seem to carry Slavich, I ordered from B&H took 3 weeks.

 

[analog65]

Hi, I just placed an order for Slavich via B&H last night...

B&H and Adromdra (SP) both seem to carry Slavich, I ordered from B&H took 3 weeks.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why?

paper negatives

Oh.

Here is an idea ... use film.

 

[analog65]

so first you ask why and now you chime in with "use film".

I asked for helpful input, as we all do here on APUG. I honestly have no patience for your silliness. If you have no value to add to the thread, then move on and enjoy your day. If you do, great, that is why we are all here, to help and support one another. What you are doing is a waste of everyone's time, to include you own. I wish you well, but please knock off what you are doing.

Thanks

Oh.

Here is an idea ... use film.

 

[Joe VanCleave]

I've shot paper negatives for decades, and have contacted printed paper negatives made on Arista grade 2 RC paper. I see no issues with the paper texture showing through in the print. I don't see why you'd need thinner paper.

There's the chance that thinner paper might actually show the paper fiber easier. A thicker RC paper diffuses more of the light through the backside.

There might be a difference in sharpness of the print, based on the negative thickness, though I use a condenser enlarger as my contact printing light source just for this reason, as the light is more directional/collimated and should enhance sharpness (think condenser over diffuse enlargers re:sharpness and micro-contrast.)

I'd suggest use a grade 2 RC paper negative (so that the negative contrast is independent of the subject's color temperature) and a condenser enlarger as a contact printing light source. Should work fine.

~Joe

PS: One caveat is if you intend on alternative processes, where UV light is used, then of course you wouldn't use an enlarger as a light source.

 

[eddie]

When I was doing paper negatives ( a long time ago), I preferred single weight fiber paper. I would often use pencil, on the reverse side of the paper, to add to the highlight areas, before contact printing a positive. I don't know if you use this technique, but it's harder to do on RC paper.

 

[Joe VanCleave]

Agreed, for pencil work you want FB paper. Somewhere in my library I have an old book (pre-WWII era) addressing this topic of hand touching paper negatives. A fascinating subject.

~Joe

 

[MartinP]

When I was doing paper negatives ( a long time ago), I preferred single weight fiber paper. I would often use pencil, on the reverse side of the paper, to add to the highlight areas, before contact printing a positive. I don't know if you use this technique, but it's harder to do on RC paper.

That's a useful dodging mask technique. If the paper-base is too 'shiny', being RC or whatever, then a piece of tracing paper can be laid over the back of the paper-neg to take the pencil. It loses a little bit more light, but can still be useful.

 

[analog65]

Hi Joe, thanks for your help. I was looking for thinner paper that would be more translucent for those times when I want to put them in my enlarger and make an enlargement vs. a contact print. I have a 4x5 and 8x10 enlarger available to use and so I thought, why not try and make some enlargements too.

For now, I have been using just RC Ilford glossy paper as my negatives and making 8x10 contact prints via a low-watt incandescent bulb. Works great, but looking to expand my creative options and explore. I really love the look and feel of paper negatives, and that is why I was thinking about the thinner paper to be used for enlargements.

Any additional thoughts on this would be great too.

Thanks

I've shot paper negatives for decades, and have contacted printed paper negatives made on Arista grade 2 RC paper. I see no issues with the paper texture showing through in the print. I don't see why you'd need thinner paper.

There's the chance that thinner paper might actually show the paper fiber easier. A thicker RC paper diffuses more of the light through the backside.

There might be a difference in sharpness of the print, based on the negative thickness, though I use a condenser enlarger as my contact printing light source just for this reason, as the light is more directional/collimated and should enhance sharpness (think condenser over diffuse enlargers re:sharpness and micro-contrast.)

I'd suggest use a grade 2 RC paper negative (so that the negative contrast is independent of the subject's color temperature) and a condenser enlarger as a contact printing light source. Should work fine.

~Joe

PS: One caveat is if you intend on alternative processes, where UV light is used, then of course you wouldn't use an enlarger as a light source.

 

[analog65]

Hi Eddie, thanks for your comment. I have used it a little bit, just trying the technique, but nothing serious yet. The more that I explore paper negatives and the vast options for printing, the deeper it gets..

When I was doing paper negatives ( a long time ago), I preferred single weight fiber paper. I would often use pencil, on the reverse side of the paper, to add to the highlight areas, before contact printing a positive. I don't know if you use this technique, but it's harder to do on RC paper.

 

[NedL]

I hope OP will come back and report how the Slavich paper works.

I agree that using pencil on the back is an interesting technique. Lately I've been playing around with Dead Link Removed technique, and you can "burn" on the back of the interpositive and "dodge" on the back of the negative. There is a lot of control possible. I'm a beginner but have already made contact prints using this process that brought out skies that are difficult to print using traditional dodging and burning under the enlarger ( e.g. burning sky when there is a difficult horizon ). Although my purpose is to make large negatives for other uses.

For alt processes, I don't know about FB but the three kinds of RC paper I've tried all have optical brighteners in them that glow strongly under a UV light. This may cause the entire paper to become a more diffuse source when contact printing, but I'm not sure about that ( the "glow" might not have much UV in it, so maybe it doesn't really matter. )

 

[analog65]

That is an excellent idea!!

That's a useful dodging mask technique. If the paper-base is too 'shiny', being RC or whatever, then a piece of tracing paper can be laid over the back of the paper-neg to take the pencil. It loses a little bit more light, but can still be useful.

 

[analog65]

Happy to do that. It may take a couple weeks to get it in my hands because the paper is special order, but I am happy to follow up and report my experience.

I hope OP will come back and report how the Slavich paper works.

I agree that using pencil on the back is an interesting technique. Lately I've been playing around with Dead Link Removed technique, and you can "burn" on the back of the interpositive and "dodge" on the back of the negative. There is a lot of control possible. I'm a beginner but have already made contact prints using this process that brought out skies that are difficult to print using traditional dodging and burning under the enlarger ( e.g. burning sky when there is a difficult horizon ). Although my purpose is to make large negatives for other uses.

For alt processes, I don't know about FB but the three kinds of RC paper I've tried all have optical brighteners in them that glow strongly under a UV light. This may cause the entire paper to become a more diffuse source when contact printing, but I'm not sure about that ( the "glow" might not have much UV in it, so maybe it doesn't really matter. )

 

[NedL]

Here's a recent enlarged paper negative from one of my favorite photographers.

 

[removed account4]

hi analog65
you might also make sure that whatever paper you use doesn'thave
the maker's information embossed on the back.
have fun making paper negatives, it is a lot of fun

good luck !
john

 

[analog65]

Wow... I love that too!! Thanks for sharing that link. Good stuff!

Here's a recent enlarged paper negative from one of my favorite photographers.

 

[analog65]

Excellent point John. Thanks!!

hi analog65
you might also make sure that whatever paper you use doesn'thave
the maker's information embossed on the back.
have fun making paper negatives, it is a lot of fun

good luck !
john