Whatman Fine Print Paper

[Firstlight]

Does anyone know if this paper is still available in the USA and who may carry it? I've searched some online and unable to prove if it still is made.

It was mentioned in Judy Siegel's Post Factory Photography #5 as being a long scale paper for contrasty negatives used for Cyanotypes.

Thanks, Terry

 

[deisenlord]

If this is Whatman's the english paper, it's a funny situation. Daler Rowney is the distributor and they do have paper in the warehouse but no retail stores stock it. You can custom order it, I did it though Perl Art. It took several tries. You can also purchase Whatman from the UK internet art stores. Ken Bromley is the first one that comes to mind. The only surfaces I have been able to find are NOT (cold press) and rough. The hot press apparently isn't made anymore. It's a great paper for Pt/Pd although it can spot fairly badly, the NOT surface makes it tolerable to etch however.
Ike

 

[Firstlight]

Upon further checking with the above post input, it looks like Whatman (UK) stopped production in 1962.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ik...wbHqDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1

Perhaps someone else is making paper and using the Whatman name, but the paper doesn't show up much in searches.

The paper looked interesting because the Post Factory article (printed Aug 2000) mentioned one could get 15 steps (out of 21) with the std Cyanotype process.

Appreciated if anyone has further information.

Thanks, Terry

 

[deisenlord]

fyi...

http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/paper2l.html

http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-whatman-watercolour-paper.htm

 

[clay]

There were two Whatman's papers available about five years ago that were fantastic for pt/pd. One was Whatman's Printmaker and the other was Whatman's Watercolor, both of them hot press versions. New York Central Art Supply carried them for a while, and then they were available for a while through Ken Bromley in the UK.

The papers were were pretty similar. Both were slightly buffered, and turned out killer prints on pure pd if treated in a five minute 1-2% oxalic. They were both sized with Aquapel, which made them work really well as pure platinum papers. The tone in pure Pd was warm, but not quite as warm as Platine developed in really potassium oxalate.

Both papers had the other wonderful feature of being dimensionally stable - that is - they were great for multiple printing and you would not run into weird registration problems when doing gum over platinum or cyanotype over platinum. These were both roughly 300gsm papers.

There was also a slightly heavier paper also called Whatman's Printmaker that was about a 350gsm paper that was only available in the NOT surface. It was acidic right out of the bag, and can give one of the richest and highest Dmax palladium prints I have ever seen - even single coated. The only gotcha was the texture - if you are looking for a smooth printed surface, it was definitely NOT that...

If anyone can track down an old stash of Whatman's Watercolor it is worth trying. My only hesitation in recommending this is that you will have a bitter bout of disappointment after using it and realizing that it is no longer to be had.

 

[Firstlight]

Thanks deisenlord and clay. The only notation in the article was Whatman Fine Print and no weight or other description...so, it looks like you've tracked it down very well.

I may pursue or settle for some paper with easier availability. Any thoughts on what may be a close substitute?

Terry

 

[Loris Medici]

If you need long scale you can develop in weak (1% - 5%) acid (hydrochloric or acetic)... But be aware that this increase the tendency to stain/bleed if the paper is prone to staining/bleeding. You can help the sensitizer with some Tween or other inert surfactant + develop face down to diminish/eliminate staining.

BTW I have a small stock of Whatman 140lb HP Watercolour which was very nice for pt/pd. (After acid treatment of paper before printing... Also the texture was closer to NOT after it gets wet, definitely nothing near to HP in my view - but I'm a hardcore ultra-smooth COT 320 user, so don't take my word on it!) Never tried cyanotype on it but since it's good for pt/pd, it should be also good for cyanotype. I had ordered the paper from Ken Bromley, UK. (Not listed on their site anymore.)