FOMATONE in LITH

At a time when materials are dropping off their perches regularly, it's a pleasant surprise to find a range of paper working as well as ever in that most extreme processing environment, lith printing.

These tests were made by Shane Gilliver in the darkrooms here on the latest batches of Fomatone. Novolith developer was used, at 1 + 10 dilution, and a working temperature of about 30 degrees C. Shane found that a fully formed image could be produced in only about 2 minutes, a very short time.

The tones will not come across perfectly here, so some description might be useful. The fibre-based Fomatone has extra warmth introduced by added base pigment. This produces a markedly yellow base tint, and although useful for many subjects it is hoped Foma may introduce a parallel brighter chloro-bromide, as they did with the ivory 542 (Chamois) & white 532 (Nature) matt papers.

The Fomatone on resin-coated base reacts more or less identically to the lith development, but has a significantly whiter base colour.

Finally, a lith developed Fomatone print is composed of finely divided silver particles that are highly reactive to toners, and one combination that seems well worth exploring is finishing in a gold toner, as below right. What makes this especially unusual is that a controllable 'split' can be produced, the highlights changing first before the colour shift moves into the shadows.

ROLLEI ATP FILM

Hans O Mahn have announced the immediate availability of a film with associated chemistry which is designed to fill the niche left by the discontinued Kodak Technical Pan. This is coded ATP, standing for Advanced Technical Pan. A wide range of choice in selection of film and chemistry is included in the range, which we should have in stock shortly.

Press Information PDF

Data Sheet PDF (from the 4 film + Dev + Fix Kit)

Silverprint Slip-Case Portfolios

A new portfolio product designed in-house here at Silverprint, this brand-new design is aimed to be low in price whilst remaining uncompromising in quality of display, protection and archival permanence.

It is designed to be a punched-page equivalent of our portfolio boxes, and materials and construction are up to the same high standards.

The portfolio uses crystal clear polyester pages (the same material as our unpunched polyester print sleeves) secured in a custom designed buckram lined outer folder. This is then further protected by the supplied slip case, which provides excellent protection against dust and rigours of handling. The slipcase is also covered in black library buckram.
The price for the book does not include pages, which are in separate packs of 10.

Cameraless Photography

Guy Paterson is leading a new series of workshops at St Martins College of Art, in both Alternative Processes and Camera-less Photography.

The Cameraless Photography workshop breaks the rules of conventional photography. By experimenting with an assortment of light-sensitive materials, students will discover that a great deal of graphic activity can take place without a camera. As well as developing a greater scientific understanding of the chemicals and materials used, you will explore exciting new ways of recording and communicating. The only cameras used will be hand-constructed. Techniques include:
• Photograms - dramatic shadow pictures made using found objects to explore shape, translucency and composition
• Chemograms - made by painting developer and fix on to absorbent materials, which are then pressed on to paper
• Photo-batik - using skin-cream as a resist to photographic chemicals
• Cliché-verre - where marks are scratched into paint applied to glass, then contact-printed with photographic images.

Contact;
guy-paterson.co.uk
courses.csm.arts.ac.uk

Dates;
Cameraless Photography
19 Apr 2008 to 17 May 2008
Saturdays 10.00–16.00

Alternative Photographic Processes
14 Jul 2008 to 18 Jul 2008
Monday to Friday 10.00-16.00

Cameraless Photography
26 Aug 2008 to 29 Aug 2008
Tuesday to Friday 10.00-17.00

Adox Film & Paper
A full range of the fabled Adox film paper & chemistry is
NOW IN STOCK.

Silverprint Leather Portfolios

Completing our new range of portfolio products, we now have a superb range of leather books at an all time low price. Made specially for us in four sizes, and supplied direct with no distributor margin enabling us to lever the price to an all-time low.

The leather books use the same range of polyester pages as the Slip-Case Portfolios, sold separately in packs of 10.

Ilford & Harman - confused?
In case anybody got lost where the Ilford brandname has been going in the last few years, this is the history briefly;
Ilford Ltd prior to their entering administration in 2004 comprised 2 main manufacturing sites, Mobberley in the UK, where most traditional products were made, and Freiberg in Switzerland where Ilfochrome and Ilfocolor papers were made, as well as the inkjet papers. The receivers of Ilford made separate deals to dispose of the sites, the UK side going to an Ilford UK management buyout team, while the Swiss operation went to the Japanese Oji paper group. As the Swiss plant was first in the pecking order they retained the Ilford name, while the UK operation was inaugurated under the name HARMAN, taken from the name of the founder of the original Britannia Works, later to be Ilford Ltd. Harman Technology can still use the Ilford brandname and logo under license to Oji on previously existing products, while new products will carry the Harman name. For 2 years after the split Harman distributed the Swiss made Galerie inkjet paper - this arrangement has now ceased, and Galerie Inkjet comes into the UK through Johnsons Photopia. There is now no trading relationship between Ilford (Oji) and Harman, and their distribution arrangements are separate. So now you know.

Ilford Omnijet
One result of the split outlined above is that Harman are now developing their own range of inkjet papers, see below. Meanwhile Swiss based Ilford are maintaining the Galerie range, and have now expanded upon this by offering the new OMNIJET range, aimed at commercial users. This has a very full range of formats in sheets and rolls, with 3 surfaces gloss, pearl and satin. Very competitively priced, we are now stocking the popular combinations of size and surface, any we don't list can be easily ordered in.

Harman Inkjet Now in 2 Finishes
As Ilford/Harman have a lot riding on this range of new inkjet papers which is gradually being rolled out. The original neutral matt is now joined by a warmtone option - review links so far are below.
Mike Crawford tests out HARMAN technology's much anticipated new inkjet paper, HARMAN PHOTO Professional MATT FB - and he's impressed!
Click the link below to download a PDF of his article, courtesy of the British Journal of Photography.
Mike Crawford Article - BJP
The BJP website is at www.bjp-online.com
David Kilpatrick of Master Photo > Digital magazine reviews and recommends HARMAN PHOTO MATT FB papers - including the latest Warmtone version.
Click the link below to download a PDF of his article, courtesy of the Master Photo > Digital magazine
Master Photo > Digital magazine review
Master Photo > Digital magazine is at www.iconpublications.com

Ilford SFX Returns
Statement from Ilford Press Office, Jan 07;

"HARMAN technology has received thousands of requests from customers to return the ILFORD SFX 200 film to the ILFORD Photo film range.
We are pleased to announce that the product will be relaunched Worldwide during March 2007 in 135 - 36 exp cassettes and in the 120 format, in addition a special pack containing 3 x ILFORD SFX 200 135 - 36 and a COKIN "P" SFX filter will be made available. ILFORD SFX 200 will become a ‘MOD’ MANUFACTURE ON DEMAND item, where the film is manufactured on an approximately annual basis to ensure the highest quality of manufacture.

Availability in individual markets is dependent on shipping times, but is likely to be in early March for the UK, mid March for European and Nordic markets, April for North America and May for the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.HARMAN technology Limited Marketing Director Howard Hopwood announced;
"ILFORD SFX 200 is a great film that allows film photographers an even more expressive outlet for their creativity. It has a loyal following in many markets and is used for a huge range of applications, architectural photography being one of the most popular.
For HARMAN technology this finally completes the task of returning to its range the specialist products which were discontinued during the previous administration of ILFORD Imaging UK Limited. It is a further commitment from HARMAN technology to provide creative photographers and printers around the world with the largest range of quality analogue mononchrome photography products."

Multigrade Warmtone FB Rolls
As well as glossy, which we have kept as a stock item for some time, we now have Multigrade Warmtone FB rolls in the semi-matt finish. The width is 106 cm (about 42") abd the roll length is 10 metres. The paper is wound on a rigid cardboard core and supplied in a good quality outer box which is suitable for subsequently shipping finished prints.

Ilford / Harman Selenium Toner
The old Ilford company had a policy of excluding toners from their range - not so the company under new management, which is taking the view that toning should be regarded as an integral part of the process. The most important toner, both archivally and in terms of image enhancement has to be selenium, and hence this is the first to be rolled out in the Ilford range.

Rodinal Special in the UK !

This is the reappearance of a great little developer which has not been seen in the UK since the Goldfinger days (see News page 10), Agfa Rodinal Special. This does not use Aminophenol as does original Rodinal, but uses a phenidone-hydroquinone formulation to give finer grain than its namesake. Dilution is recommended by the manufacturers as 1+15, but this can be a bit fierce, with short development times, so a more economical mix of 1+29 can be used in most situations, with an approximate 50% increase in development times. Available only in 125ml bottles, which unfortunately are almost identical in appearance to original Rodinal - check you are getting the right one.

World of Lith Printing - Tim Rudman's new book

Tim Rudman's original book on Lith printing, The Master Photographer's Lith Printing Course, is still universally recognised as the number one authoritative work on the subject of Lith printing, exploring the process's unique ability to produce either strongly graphic or exquisitely delicate prints that respond beautifully to toning. Since it was first published, in 1998, the techniques revealed and explained have gone on to attract an ever growing number of followers, and Tim is largely credited with the current popularity of this creative technique.