About us
Not part of our normal stock, a nostalgic collection of discontinued materials & equipment from the last 100 years. All additions gratefully received!Silverprint is a specialist dealer in photographic consumables of all types. We set up in 1984, when digital photography had hardly been dreamed of, and started by importing a wide range of traditional photographic materials. The photographic landscape has changed out of all recognition since then, but we're still here! As well as stocking virtually all the traditional photographic materials still available we now keep an enormous range of digital papers and inks, and supply everything needed for exhibition mounting, portfolio, and archival storage. Whether it's an odd size of large format sheet film, an obscure darkroom paper, or a professional inkjet ink cartridge you should find it here.
We are now running a new state-of-the-art computer system which is integrated into our new e-commerce website.
One of the very last notice boards in London for photographic sales, needs & wants, & services. Post your own card, but date it please.1984 Company inaugurated in May, trading beginning from London Docklands premises in the Autumn, initially principal product is Oriental 'Seagull' black & white paper for which we are sole importer.
1987 Move into the present premises in Waterloo.
1990 With Eddie Ephraums produces 'The Silverprint Manual' which morphs over time into 'Ag' magazine, now a prestigious magazine under the helm of ex-BJP editor Chris Dickie.
1993 Takes over the whole of the ground floor of the Waterloo premises.
1996 Produces 'Silver Gelatin', a book which combines the art & technique of photographic emulsion technique. Still the only book dedicated to this subject, and now in it's 3'rd edition.
1997 Starts imports from Hungary of Forte photographic materials, notably 'Polywarmtone', a successor to Agfa 'Record Rapid'
1999 With Randall Webb produces 'Spirits of Salts', a comprehensive manual of alternative photographic techniques.
2003 Commences importing FOMA photographic materials, the significance of which increases radically with the disappearance of many other familiar photographic names.
2004 Purchases the freehold of the Waterloo premises, and takes over the entire building, including the running of 'Downtown Darkroom'.
2007-8 A new state-of-the-art computer system installed, incorporating a new e-commerce system.
... and 30 Years of Speedibrews
What does a successful government chemist in the civil service do when boredom starts to set in? Most people would grit their teeth & carry on working their passage, but Michael Maunder took the bold step of starting a second career in chemical manufacturing. Thirty years later he is still producing his innovative range of photographic chemistry under the brand name 'Speedibrews' from our premises in Waterloo.
Michael, with his wife Wendy, laid down one unwavering principle - 'you add the water'. At a time when most photographic chemical manufacturing was moving over to liquids this could be seen as going against the flow (?). However the powder packaging kept weight down, was light and non hazardous in shipping, and had a very long shelf life. Thirty years on that approach is still relevant, as demand for analogue chemical products slims down, and ensures that the products are in peak condition when required.
Michael was fortunate in riding that wave of downsizing, and picked up quite a number of products where demand was falling below large manufacturers tipping points; Kodak licensed him to produce their race-finish developer, at that time used to rapid-access process film for photo finish results. Another nice little earner was chemistry for the last of the E4 reversal material, Kodak photomicrography and infra-red Ektachrome films. Meanwhile 'press-kits', C41 chemistry for hotel-room darkrooms were much in demand, and are still being custom-made today.
But while custom manufacturing was icing on top, the core of the business was the innovative range of chemicals that he researched himself, aimed primarily at the enthusiast market. In monochrome, the principal developer in his range is 'Celer-Stellar' designed for getting maximum emulsion speed for astronomical work, while giving full tonality and no increase in grain. The extra active derivative of this was called Speedibrews 422 - like '7 Up' named after the number of trials, and rather more research was required than for the fizzy drink!
Toners are an essential part of the range, and apart from the popular sepia and blue include unusual varieties, even one based on thiourea dioxide, which yields a silver image, but in very finely divided silver with a variety of intense colours.
Chromogenic film is catered to with two kits; conventional C41 is covered by 'Celer 41?', while the 'Speedi 41' kit uses a speed increasing monochrome developer followed by bleaching and colour developing to produce an up to 5 stop speed increase.
Fleshing out the range are what Michael calls ?useful mixtures?, chemical adjuncts including Farmers reducer, intensifiers, and what seems to be the very last chemical equipment cleaner on the market. This is being reformulated and produced in larger packs for cleaning processors, as there is now no other alternative. So times have changed, but the specialised chemical kits in the Speedibrews range are still relevant today. The range is certainly not being trimmed - in step with the market, a discontinued product from another manufacturer is an opportunity for a new Speedibrews product.