Ilfochrome!

[dsphotog]

The latest Freestyle catalogue announces that they are dealing in Ilfochrome!
I says to call, their site doesn't seem to list it.

[Kim Du Boise]

Ilfochrome, which was 25% of our business, was discontinued by Ilford (Swiss) when Oji Paper bought them several years ago. We stopped printing when they sent us re-labeled old emulsion paper. I had to prove it, but could because I had an older box with the same #! Had prints changing in front of my eyes; could not print for clients or myself.

The US distributor has had the rest of their stock on "discontinued" and "close out" lists after 2007. Henry Wilhelm even downgraded the archival status and life of Ilfochrome to about 29 years.

An alternative that has come about is Fujiflex that is coated on the same type of polyester base & has a rating of about 60 years. It must be printed digitally, however. It is not the old Cibachrome or Ilfochrome, but it's close as we will get now that more digital printing papers are made than optical.

[mhanc]

From what I have been able to gather, I think Ilford is still producing Ilfochrome materials: chemicals, display film and papers. The papers can be exposed optically and by digital laser. I assume this is what the 5+ labs that I can find offering traditional Cibas/Ilfochromes are using.

For the DIY market, I also see several of the large traditional photo retailers selling the paper and one selling the P3 chemistry.

Ilford Ilfochrome Classsic (http://www.ilford.com/en/products/ilfochrome/index.asp)

[Andre Noble]

I stopped inside Freestyle recently and they said they can order it.

[mhanc]

I stopped inside Freestyle recently and they said they can order it.

That makes 2 retailers selling chemistry for sure - the other I found is B&H. I would assume others will order it as well. Good news for this process.

[Renato Tonelli]

I just received a drop shipment of Ilfochrome chemistry and paper two weeks ago (ordered from Freestyle). It was a large order - printing approx. 400 11x14 sheets. I started printing yesterday.

[dsphotog]

Happy printing Renato!
Are you using a CAP-40?

[Nathan Potter]

Renato, nice to hear you're still at it. I'm nearing the end of my current chemistry and paper inventory so will soon have to send my life savings:) to Freestyle. :(

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Renato Tonelli]

Thank you dsphotog.

I have the CAP-40 and the Durst Printo. The Durst is far superior in my opinion - the paper has never jammed on me, so far, and the results are consistent. The downside to the Durst Printo is the clean-up and break-down. I use the CAP-40 for 16x20's and once I finish a box of 16x20's (in the Fall?) I think I will get rid of it (how long have I been saying that?).
I print Ilfochrome about twice a year when I can clear my schedule for a few days in a row. It takes me awhile to get into the swing of things...

Nathan - I hear you loud and clear; printing Ilfochrome is definitely a minor investment. I have gotten burned with off-the-shelf outdated chemistry in the past. I am grateful to Freestyle - they are wonderful people to deal with.

[Larry Gebhardt]

What is the current price for Ilfochrome chemistry at Freestyle? I can't find a link to the kits.

[dsphotog]

Larry is right, it's not on the website, According to the Spring 2010 catalogue, Classic P30.2 2 liter #113-7758 is $89.99.
"please call for details, all items are special order & will be drop shipped from the distributor." (800)292-6137

[Renato Tonelli]

By the way, this time around I did not buy the chemistry in kits. I bought it in bulk, the way they sell it to the labs. A container of Developer (parts A, B, C) makes 20 liters of working chemistry.

[Drew Wiley]

Kim - first of all, being "downgraded" by Wilhelm means nothing really. The dyes haven't
changed at all. Just depends how much UV the print gets. The newer Crystal Archive material might or might not have better display life; Ilfochrome certainly has better dark storage potential. Fuji Supergloss can easily be printed optically; in fact, they've recently corrected their literature to state this. Only available in rolls, and of course, direct printing Fuji means starting with a color negative rather than a positive. A very different polyester base from Ilfochrome, so a bit different to mount. I don't know why anyone would relabel a paper. Ilfochrome shifts rather quickly once it is thawed, especially in the highlights. About four months is the longest I'd keep an open package around. P-3 chemistry keeps well until mixed. Fuji C papers are just the opposite: the unexposed paper keeps well but RA4 chemistry degrades rapidly. Oji has owned the color half of Ilford for some time now. I'd be a bit skeptical about what distributors are
stating, since in current economic conditions they tend to keep their inventories very low. Probably best to contact Oji Switzerland directly with such questions.