Status of Kodak RA4 Paper in 2022

[x.rasenas]

Do we think Endura is ever coming back? The difference between it and fuji is such a drag to not be bummed about its ongoing unavailability. I ordered numerous rolls over the summer as it became available as a backorder option. The BH rep mentions there's only a couple shipments a year since its the way production has panned out for them the last couple years. (guessing pre-pandemic even)

Anyone have any leads or info on the status post china-acquisition etc? Hoping it makes a comeback before 2023.

[Drew Wiley]

Fuji has plenty to offer if someone would twist their arm. I would really like to try out their Maxima paper; but it's hard to even get straight answers about that in the US unless you have a direct commercial account with them. It took me over six months just to get another roll of Fujiflex, which is unquestionably the most deluxe, widest gamut, and deepest black RA4 medium ever made. But it's also way more expensive, true high gloss, and suitable for only certain images. It's made in Japan.

There's no secret to the delay of Kodak papers. They switched to Chinese manufacture just before the pandemic hit, expecting only a temporary interruption, but the unfortunate timing led to serious inevitable delays in both production and distribution. Local labs that formerly depended on Kodak paper have switched over to Fuji, which is somewhat backlogged too, but not to the same extent. Instead of Endura, they're using a lot of Crystal Archive Supreme, a mid-range product which home users have also found to be an acceptable substitute, provided they can work within the limitation of relatively small roll widths. Big print sizes require something else, and even the names of some of those options differs between the US and EU. So it all depends where you're located; but with patience, Fuji has a very wide selection to choose from.

[koraks]

AFAIK SinoPromise, the current manufacturer of Endura paper, is in dire financial straits. I do understand that Kodak chemistry has started to reappear on the market and this should also be manufactured by the same company. This suggests they may not be entirely knocked out. However, if and when they'll ever restart paper production I don't know. Keep in mind that SinoPromise has various product segments and the previous Kodak lines are only a small part of their offering. Given Fuji's strong position in the market I'm not sure how motivated the Chinese are to resurrect this business in its prior glory. To be honest, I have pretty much given up hope on Endura coming back. Now, I quite like the Fuji product; Crystal Archive Supreme is a really good paper, so I'm not too mournful. It's also easily available here in Europe. Still, for some images I would prefer Endura. Fuji of course has Maxima, but it only comes in big rolls; bigger than I care to handle in my darkroom. At least Endura also came in conveniently smaller sizes.

[x.rasenas]

I'll def look into both those papers. Thanks so much for the recs