Oriental paper scarcity

[Robbie Bedell]

I just attempted to stock up on my favorite paper, Oriental Fiber based, and found it back ordered at B&H and Freestyle. I called Oriental Photo USA and was informed that they are expecting a shipment but things are sort of in flux- that there had been a large price increase and there were 'negotiations' going on. I certainly hope this paper does not disappear. Now I have to print on Multigrade...I am now crying here...

[Bob Salomon]

Check with Palm Beach Workshop or Pitman?

[Robbie Bedell]

Hi Bob. Art has no more gel. silver photo paper at all. Pitman is a good ides. I will call them. Thanks Bob.

[Robbie Bedell]

Pitman is now all Ilford. Not what is used to be... We used to by tons of stuff from then when I was at The Miami Herald. Times change..

[Bob Salomon]

Pitman is now all Ilford. Not what is used to be... We used to by tons of stuff from then when I was at The Miami Herald. Times change..

Quite a change from the old place when they were all Kodak then!

[Robbie Bedell]

Yes, kind of sad really..

[PRJ]

If you are really dying, order it from Yodabashi or another place in Japan. If they won't ship it to the US there is a guy that goes by Japan Camera Hunter.. Have him get it for you... Probably won't be cheap, but you are dying...

[Bob Salomon]

Hi Bob. Art has no more gel. silver photo paper at all. Pitman is a good ides. I will call them. Thanks Bob.

What about Samy’s, Midwest, Arlington Camera, Fort Worth Camera, Nelson’s, George’s, Glazer’s, Adorama, K&H.

[wooserco]

Let me look tomorrow or the next day. I received some Oriental paper with a color head purchase. No idea what the three packages are. I'll post when I find them. (step daughter and grandson are in the way of the darkroom entrance at this time).

[Mark Sampson]

Seems that distribution has often been a problem for them. In 1982 or so, I was working as b/w printer in a custom lab, and the regional(?) Oriental sales rep visited. He gave us a box of 8x10 Oriental 'Center' warm-tone paper to try out. I asked about some of their Seagull G and he told me "we can't get any right now" or words to that effect. And this was when they were running full-page ads in all the photo magazines, featuring Brett Weston's famous picture of the canal and trees! Perhaps it was too successful at the time.
Some years later I bought some Seagull for myself... a marvelous paper it was too. A shame that it disappeared... Robbie, I hope you find some paper!

[Robbie Bedell]

If you are really dying, order it from Yodabashi or another place in Japan. If they won't ship it to the US there is a guy that goes by Japan Camera Hunter.. Have him get it for you... Probably won't be cheap, but you are dying...

Thank you! But I sort of need it ASAP. I guess I will be getting some Multigrade.

[Robbie Bedell]

Seems that distribution has often been a problem for them. In 1982 or so, I was working as b/w printer in a custom lab, and the regional(?) Oriental sales rep visited. He gave us a box of 8x10 Oriental 'Center' warm-tone paper to try out. I asked about some of their Seagull G and he told me "we can't get any right now" or words to that effect. And this was when they were running full-page ads in all the photo magazines, featuring Brett Weston's famous picture of the canal and trees! Perhaps it was too successful at the time.
Some years later I bought some Seagull for myself... a marvelous paper it was too. A shame that it disappeared... Robbie, I hope you find some paper!

Thank you Mark. It is very, very nice paper. I have always been able to get it from B&H or Adorama. It has been around for so long that I thought it would be one of the standbys. Hopefully it will show up again. Some say it was a different paper back ion the 80s but it still seems the same to me today. Only the box changed.. as far as i could tell.

[Robbie Bedell]

Let me look tomorrow or the next day. I received some Oriental paper with a color head purchase. No idea what the three packages are. I'll post when I find them. (step daughter and grandson are in the way of the darkroom entrance at this time).

Thank You! I am looking for 11x14 glossy fiber. I still have some 8x10. Let the kids play! No big rush here...I ordered some Multigrade last night.

[Renato Tonelli]

Oriental Seagull in Fiber seems to be no longer available.
I e-mailed and called the US distributor but neither message was returned.

[Jim Noel]

That is a real loss for fine art printers. I'l be very careful with my last 6 boxes of 11x14.

[Fred L]

B&H still shows warm tone and some cool tone, as special order. if it was EOL'ed, they wouldn't show special order would they ?

[Jim Noel]

They might.

[Bob Salomon]

Oriental Seagull in Fiber seems to be no longer available.
I e-mailed and called the US distributor but neither message was returned.

Do they know what you do?

[Renato Tonelli]

Do they know what you do?

In both the email and voice message, I told them that we (University Dept.) were looking to buy 20 100 sheet boxes of 8x10 and I forget how many of the 11x14.

Freestyle does not list Oriental paper at all. When we tried to order it from B&H, they said that it was back ordered and advised not to place the order until it was in stock again. Still, I am hoping that it is a temporary supply problem.

[jamesaz]

I was looking for this product also and received an email reply from Sina at orientalphotousa saying they had no stock or eta. I was looking for warmtone vc. I got that message yesterday, 1/19/20. So, that’s what I know about it. Really like the look of that paper though.

[Hamasaki]

Anyone find a close replacement for Oriental cold tone FB VC glossy?

[Drew Wiley]

Not identical, but rich tonal depth and quite reminiscent : I've developed Bergger Neutral Tone VC FB in 130 (reasonably fresh glycin), then cold toned it using an equivalent to dilute GP1 gold chloride toner. Way better product than the relatively anemic neo-Oriental papers of recent years; resembles more the classic graded Oriental G bromide paper, but with VC control, that is, if you use gold toner instead of selenium (or you could experiment with both toners).

[Hamasaki]

Not identical, but rich tonal depth and quite reminiscent : I've developed Bergger Neutral Tone VC FB in 130 (reasonably fresh glycin), then cold toned it using an equivalent to dilute GP1 gold chloride toner. Way better product than the relatively anemic neo-Oriental papers of recent years; resembles more the classic graded Oriental G bromide paper, but with VC control, that is, if you use gold toner instead of selenium (or you could experiment with both toners).

Great! I see B&H carries it. Will try it. Thanks!