Questions on Enlarging Papers

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Originally Posted by Klainmeister

-I plan on using fiber for my portfolio and for any sort of framing...should I even bother with RC papers or should I just use fiber exclusively so I can learn it best

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I think you're on the right track. Most people, and the digital folks, won't care about whether your work is on fiber or not. However people interested in, and certainly those who love, traditional photography, will. If the intention is to show your portfolio to any of these latter folks, you will have hobbled yourself "professionally" by not showing fiber. And then there are all those conflict–inducing issues of "archivability" and "beauty".

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Originally Posted by Klainmeister

-95% of my negatives are pyro-stained (PMK and Pyrocat) Acros 100, so has anyone found a paper that they like with that combo in particular? Not to emulate, but just some ideas?

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Never found film or development even remotely correlated to enlarging papers. An appreciation of light and composition is.

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Originally Posted by Klainmeister

-Any general recommendations for papers? I'm open to trying something new, but I'd like to here experiences. Warm-neutral tone is preferred

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Fomabrom (graded fiber) is warm and fairly inexpensive. Slavich Unibrom is cheapest and some of the only remaining graded fiber true cold tones currently on the market. Both are capable of producing fine prints, although they are little thin – not actually double weight. I love the new "neutral" Oriental for its unique warmish tone, when I desire it over my usual cold–tone preference.

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Originally Posted by Klainmeister

, since I mostly do Southwest imagery.

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I don't see the correlation. This is your personal preference, driven by your personal visualization. I am sure that I am not alone in that an overwhelming amount of my Am. Southwest prints are cold, selenium toned, enlargements (older Oriental Seagull).

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Originally Posted by Grainy

And I just have to add a comment. I recently got a bunch of old paper for free (from early 1970s). Today I tried on of the types for the first time. Agfa Brovira BH 119 grade 5. Guessed the exposure, made a straight print and put it in the lith developer. Waited for the right moment and then stopped the development. I immediately fell in love with it. The print came out perferct with just the right look. Too bad that the paper is out of production...

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It was always my favourite paper. Rich blacks for me, in Dektol.

I'm only getting back into enlarging again and would like today's knowledgeable practitioners (as Adams puts it) to recommend the closest paper to Brovira #3 and Brovira #6.

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Originally Posted by Monito

It was always my favourite paper. Rich blacks for me, in Dektol.

I'm only getting back into enlarging again and would like today's knowledgeable practitioners (as Adams puts it) to recommend the closest paper to Brovira #3 and Brovira #6.

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I agree that Brovira was a wonderful paper. I still have some 10 - 15 sheets left and I am desperatly looking for negatives that are good enough to print on them.
The old Ilford Ilfobrom was also a paper that could give very good prints with litle effort. It's too bad that my printing skill didn't quite match these papers when they were available.
As for today we still have some very good options and when I have used up whatever papers I have right now, my new paper selection would be as follows :

1. Adox MCC 110 in various sizes as my standad printing paper.
2. Ilford Galerie in 9 1/2 X 12 inch size , grade 2 and a litle moore of grade 3 . This is mainly for images that dont need extrem high or low contrast or split filter printing.
3. Some of the less expensive fiber papers in 9 1/2 X 12 size for contact sheets. There it's moore a question of whats available to you at a good price. It could be Foma, Slavish, Kentmere or some other brand.

I only choose fiber papers, even for contact sheets, both for the look and feeling of them and for simplifying my work flow ( developing-stop-fix1-fix2-rinse-HCA-final rinse-drying ).
It can also be noted that this spring the Australian/British journal Silvershotz in their volume 7 , edition 3 , named Adox MCC 110 the best silver gelatine printing paper of the year and they regard it as one of the best papers that they have tested during the last tventy years.

These are my 13 Swedish oere ( comparable to 2 cents at current exchange rate ).

Keep printing !!

Karl-Gustaf

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Originally Posted by tkamiya

I don't have ANY personal experience but Adorama's store brand paper seems to have a solid following.

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If you need any advice or after-sales support I'm right here: Helen@adorama.com

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Originally Posted by tkamiya

Apparently, who actually makes the Adorama paper is a top secret.... A rep only said it's European.

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That'd be me!

I use Arista EDU RC for proofing. It's the cheapest I can find, and way good enough for proofs. I get the big box.

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Originally Posted by BBarlow690

I use Arista EDU RC for proofing. It's the cheapest I can find, and way good enough for proofs. I get the big box.

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I have a couple of big 250 sheet boxes of Ilford Multigrade RC, obtained from a going out of (the analog) business/moving sale (the now defunct Calypso Imaging) that I only use for contacting roll films. Some call those proofs, but in any case my supply will probably last 20 more years at the rate I shoot and process 120. I only proof on fiber, the cheapest and most easily obtainable of which, for me, is 8X10 Slavich Unibrom – Gr. 3. Proofing allows me to determine the fine art potential of any negative, 35mm through LF. Since part of that decision making process of making fine prints on fiber papers requires seeing it on a fiber paper, proofing on fiber eliminates one step in the darkroom. But then that's my workflow.

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Originally Posted by ROL

Never found film or development even remotely correlated to enlarging papers.

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Either I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to say, or I completely disagree. Film development does have a correlation to the paper you choose. That's why, when testing, you test on the specific paper you want to use. I rarely stray from my preferred paper but, when I do, the same negative will print differently on each paper. Usually it's seen in the highlights- what prints as a VII on MGIV may be an VIII on another paper. If the other paper became my primary choice, I'd have to alter my film development to retain the VII I want in the print.

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Originally Posted by eddie

Either I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to say, or I completely disagree. Film development does have a correlation to the paper you choose. That's why, when testing, you test on the specific paper you want to use. I rarely stray from my preferred paper but, when I do, the same negative will print differently on each paper. Usually it's seen in the highlights- what prints as a VII on MGIV may be an VIII on another paper. If the other paper became my primary choice, I'd have to alter my film development to retain the VII I want in the print.

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Yeah...that's kinda what I was getting at. I know that when I initially switched from D76 to PMK, the way the types of negatives reacted to the same papers were not dramatic per se, but noticeable nevertheless.

I too recently tried Adorama house brand paper in RC and Fiber.
I was impressed, especially with the fiber matte as it has a nice warm tone but not too much; the glossy fiber is neutral tone.
They have sample packs very cheap so you can play with it to see if it is too your liking for not much money.

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Originally Posted by mwdake

I too recently tried Adorama house brand paper in RC and Fiber.
I was impressed, especially with the fiber matte as it has a nice warm tone but not too much; the glossy fiber is neutral tone.

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Good to hear!:)