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Why is Warmtone paper so much more expensive?

Eric Rose

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Why is Warmtone paper so much more expensive than regular neutral toned paper? Beyond the supply vs demand equation. Is there some kind of expensive pixie dust sprinkled on it?
 
I don't know, but I don't think so. The market for warm toned papers is smaller than the market for neutral toned papers, yet the R&D and production costs are about the same. The overhead has to get spread out over a much smaller number of units, so the cost has to be higher per unit.
 
Same reason a divorce is expensive -- "because it's worth it"
 
isnt there more silver in a warm tone paper? idk where i heard that but i remember hearing it.
 


I think that's what we were told on an Ilford factory tour.

Ian
 
It's to cover the cost of keeping the factory temperature higher during production. That's why it's called "warm-tone."

Little-known fact.
 
It is only as much as people will pay. I used to pay for the Ilford every now and then when it was under $90 a box. It was my favorite paper, though its high price (approaching double what plain-ol' cost) made it a treat. Now that it is $110 a box, that "every now and then" has been changed to "very rarely." It is a great paper, but not worth over $2 a sheet for 11x14 fiber, IMO.
 
Volume and marketing. At least this is the conclusion I draw from the strange answers I got from a german supplier when I asked the same question in a german forum.
 
Price is relative. It's my #1 paper because it fits what I want a B&W image to look like (my images, anyway).
 
The silver grains in warm-tone paper are much, much smaller than the ones in neutral papers. I imagine higher production costs for the emulsion, coupled with lower production volume, makes for the higher price.
 
The day Ilford came out with this paper it became my number one. I use MG4 for Sepia Toning projects .
Over the weekend I printed 100 sheets at $7.00 a pop, my client could have saved some dough by going to a different paper but chose the Harmon/Ilford Warmtone.
 
As a once product manager for Black & white papers for the old GAF corp. (ANSCO) in the 60's. How about because there is so little made! My guess is that it would be in the area of 10-12%.
 
Brian B. Ainsworth said:
As a once product manager for Black & white papers for the old GAF corp. (ANSCO) in the 60's. How about because there is so little made! My guess is that it would be in the area of 10-12%.
Click to expand...

Hi Brian, welcome to APUG. I use to work for GAF in a different division, however, use to buy their Color film at a favorable employee price and loved it. Where did you work out of?
 

I was probably on the same Ilford tour as Ian Grant, but when Simon G was asked the question, the answer was simply down to lower volume & fixed overheads

Martin
 
Dear All,

Those on the HARMAN tour got it from the horses mouth.

Production Volumes: Also in FB WT it has slightly higher QC waste than neutral
FB.


Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :
 
Maybe it's economies of scale? May be there's a great demand for neutral toned papers so they make more of it so it's cheaper?
 
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