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What paper 4 me?

Anscojohn

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OK, I need to begin getting back a printing eye and need some fresh paper. When I get serious, I'll be using my remaining frozen Zone VI (the French-made) Brilliant; contemporaneous Oriental Seagull; and some ORWO-clone Brovira-like. Before going to my good stuff, I need a neutral or cold-tone graded paper, which I will be souping in my modified Ansco One OH Three.
Tell me what to buy, please.
 

My preferences:
ADOX MCC
ADOX VTC
Emaks K-888

Cold-toned, check out Unibrom 160. So many awesome papers out there, don't limit yourself to Ilford (who make great papers as well).
 
There are not so many graded papers anymore:

ADOX Fine Print NUANCE neutral/warm http://www.adox.de/english/ADOX_Papers/ADOX_Papers/Nuance.html
ILFORD Ilfobrom Galerie neutral/cold http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2006130195422907.pdf
KENTMERE Bromide neutral/cold http://www.kentmere.co.uk/products/product.asp?n=71&t=Kentmere+Photo+Papers

Personally I'd prefer the ADOX Paper with a cold-tone developer like:
MOERSCH SE6 BLUE . http://www.moersch-photochemie.de/content/shop/positiv/5/lang:en


Wolfgang

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bundesphotograph/
 
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I know this is not what you asked and I apologize for that. VC papers today are pretty amazing and the best printers I am familiar with use them. They've come a long way. I'd recommend at least trying a small pack of Ilford MGiV. I've used both graded and MG and this is what I come back to for conventional printing. Great stuff.
 
How about EMAKS, Slavich, or Fomabrom, all available in grades 2,3, and 4. I'm getting an order for EMAKS, and a few other items from Freestyle. $15 for 25 sheets of each grade, about the same for VC of nearly everyone elses paper. I'm like you, I like graded paper, I think its easier to visualize a finished print with.

Rick
 
A-John - I have used both of the papers you are warming up to use, especially the Seagull from the 80's on to the turn of the century, my favorite at the time. In conjunction with upgrading my Aristo lamp to the new V54, I tried MGIV, and I saw a big jump in quality, especially the low end of the scale. I still had some of the Seagull around, and made some comparison prints, except that there was no comparison. Even without split filter printing, the separation in the low values in the Seagull was muddy by comparison, no matter how hard I worked with the grades.

I gave the Seagull away and never looked back.
 
I use Ilford MGIV for the most part, with a few sheets of Foma Fomabrom Variant and Fotokemika Emaks sneaking in here and there for certain projects. But I chose my paper and paper developer first. Then I make my negs fit the paper/dev combo. Or else I'd feel like picking the strings before I bought the violin.

So I would ask what papers might be similar to those you are used to and eventually intend to use, a paper that could also replace what you have stashed away when you run out eventually.

Neutral to cold toned graded papers - I think Slavich is a good alternative as well as Ilford Galerie (neutral). Slavich is much less expensive and probably a good place to get back into it.

- Thomas
 
Dear John,

Give Kentmere a try. A reasonable replacement for the old Brilliant.

Neal Wydra
 

John
I've used Ansco 103 (not 130) in the past, and I prefer it over D-72 or Dektol. It is my favorite general purpose print developer. How are you modifying it?

Thank you

Mike Sullivan
 
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