Was there ever RA-4 postcard paper?

[MingMingPhoto]

I recently started making post cards on ilford's postcard backed b&w photo paper.

I'd LOVE to make color ones but I'm wondering if it would even be possible to find an expired box.

did such a product exist in abundance back then?

if not (or even if so) does anyone have any idea of good alternatives I can do in this day and age to get ra-4 post cards?


I'm thinking print on 4x6 ra-4 paper and some how glue a normal paper backing. would just need advice on the best glue and paper to use.

 

[Don_ih]

My guess is there never was colour postcard paper, since colour photo enlarging was never that popular for the small darkroom. Also, sending postcards was something that was extremely common early last century but mostly dried up thereafter. So, by the time people did make colour enlargements regularly, postcards were already not in high demand.

Probably the most reasonable option would be using whatever RA4 paper you have and backing it with a same-size sticker or printing digitally on more appropriate paper.

 

[koraks]

AFAIK there hasn't been a dedicated postcard RA4 color paper.

Gluing the RA4 paper to a backing works in principle, but it's also possible to just print a sticker of the right size and stick it to the backside as @Don_ih suggests. That's what I did for the previous Postcard Exchange when I sent a color RA4 print.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

There are several commercial sources for adhesive card stock that will turn 4x6" drug store prints into postcards At random:

https://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Edge-yourself-Postcards-Adhesive/dp/B00CRNY4MS/145-5222707-9348212?pd_rd_w=xiDWQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=YTNG4QWHZF8NN0S191V3&pd_rd_wg=NkNUf&pd_rd_r=9f26e232-f84a-4cf8-b888-3fd4ca625f04&pd_rd_i=B00CRNY4MS&psc=1

 

[MingMingPhoto]

ty guys

 

[mshchem]

Adox has thin ordinary RA4 paper cut to 4x6 inches that's being sold by B&H. No postcards. Still kinda neat, I bought a box last week. I have some of the adhesive backs. On my to do list.

 

[Samu]

There have been baryta (fiber based) color papers, but this was well before the RA-4 process was invented. It is the most recent of all commercial processes now used, as it replaced the earlier EP-2 only in mid-1990's. EP-2 was invented in 1974. and became the standard in few years after that. Before this, every manufacturer of color paper used their proprietary processes, that were not compatible with each other. As far as I know, fiber based color papers existed in the West until late1960's, when they started to disappear. In the Eastern Bloc though, they were made well until the 1980's by ORWO, and some other manufacturers. Those materials were not normally available on the Western market.