Using FUJIFILM Maxima RA4 paper

[DREW WILEY]

{Moderator note: this post was split off of this thread: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...rchive-adox-color-mission.212083/post-2961696 }
I don't know if it's wise to revive this thread or start a new one; but I'm going to bring alongside a discussion of Maxima paper, over which there is no confusion concerning its identification. I'll just make a few initial comments today, but add to those as I continue to get familiar with this paper.

I've begun with a 30-inch wide roll which I just received. Price-wise, here in the US, for the same size roll, entry-level thin CAii (same as the cut sheet papers) is $200 cheaper per roll, and professional Super C ii, $100 cheaper than Maxima; but polyester-based Fujiflex Supergloss is about $300 higher in price than Maxima for the same size.

20 and 24 inch Maxima rolls are either unavailable or outright discontinued. A little bit of 16 inch width might still be around. But 30, 40, and 50 inch wide rolls are well stocked. I only queried about the glossy version of Maxima, not the matte surface type; but that seems to be available in the same sizes.

This is an exceptionally thick paper, so the roll was a little heavier than I had anticipated, and I had to fiddle around in the dark adjusting the feed rollers to my paper cutter. But it didn't take me long to get the knack. I cut about 2 months worth into 24X30 inch sheets, and then cut down some of those in 20X24 sheets plus 8x10's for test purposes. Later on, if I get some worthy new 8x10 film shots, I might do a few 30X40 inch prints.

The emulsion is quite slick and somewhat "sticky", even with non-sweaty fingers. I don't know if that translates into a more fingerprint prone and fragile surface or not, but I'll find out in a day or so. I do suspect the gloss level to be quite high for a RC paper.

Over the next few days I'll be color balancing with some precision test chart negs to see how the hue and contrast response of Maxima compares to Fujiflex, Super C, and cut sheet CAii. I'll run these tests for both my Additive RGB enlarger and my conventional CMY 10X10 Durst colorhead, since I plan to use both enlargers with this paper.

 

[mshchem]

I don't know if it's wise to revive this thread or start a new one; but I'm going to bring alongside a discussion of Maxima paper, over which there is no confusion concerning its identification. I'll just make a few initial comments today, but add to those as I continue to get familiar with this paper.

I've begun with a 30-inch wide roll which I just received. Price-wise, here in the US, for the same size roll, entry-level thin CAii (same as the cut sheet papers) is $200 cheaper per roll, and professional Super C ii, $100 cheaper than Maxima; but polyester-based Fujiflex Supergloss is about $300 higher in price than Maxima for the same size.

20 and 24 inch Maxima rolls are either unavailable or outright discontinued. A little bit of 16 inch width might still be around. But 30, 40, and 50 inch wide rolls are well stocked. I only queried about the glossy version of Maxima, not the matte surface type; but that seems to be available in the same sizes.

This is an exceptionally thick paper, so the roll was a little heavier than I had anticipated, and I had to fiddle around in the dark adjusting the feed rollers to my paper cutter. But it didn't take me long to get the knack. I cut about 2 months worth into 24X30 inch sheets, and then cut down some of those in 20X24 sheets plus 8x10's for test purposes. Later on, if I get some worthy new 8x10 film shots, I might do a few 30X40 inch prints.

The emulsion is quite slick and somewhat "sticky", even with non-sweaty fingers. I don't know if that translates into a more fingerprint prone and fragile surface or not, but I'll find out in a day or so. I do suspect the gloss level to be quite high for a RC paper.

Over the next few days I'll be color balancing with some precision test chart negs to see how the hue and contrast response of Maxima compares to Fujiflex, Super C, and cut sheet CAii. I'll run these tests for both my Additive RGB enlarger and my conventional CMY 10X10 Durst colorhead, since I plan to use both enlargers with this paper.

Looking forward to seeing your findings!