Looking For a Bright White Fiber Paper

[Scott Watts]

Hi All,

Can anyone recommend a fiber paper that is as white as RC? I've been using Ilford Multigrae FB for years, as it has somewhat similar exposure characteristics as the Ilford Multigrade RC I also use. However, I really dont like the off-white color of the fiber, and would like to find something brighter. The prints will be displayed in Light Impression's Westminster Duo-Tone board, so I need a paper that matches the brightness of this board. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Scott

[David A. Goldfarb]

I haven't tested for a couple of years, but when I last did, Ilford Galerie graded had the brightest base. I was surprised that it was brighter than MGIV FB.

[Doremus Scudder]

Scott,

I've been using Oriental Seagull G graded papers for years, as well as the Gallerie. Both are very neutral, bright white (I think the Seagull is a bit brighter, but not much). Most rag boards I could find were too yellow-tinted for my taste until I switched to the Archival Mount bright white board. It matches the whites in the paper exactly.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Louie Powell]

Kentmere Fineprint VC has a very white base.

[Walter Foscari]

From what I remember of my darkroom days Kentmere Fineprint Neutral and Bergger had the whitest base. Both excellent papers.

[Scott Watts]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll see if I can find any of those papers locally first, but, I'm sure that I'll have to resort to locating them online.

Scott

[Jerry Flynn]

Another possibility (one that I learned from talking to Frank Gohlke many years ago) is to use Sprint End Run wetting agent/stabilizer with the addition of their Print Brightener additive. It replaces the optical brightener that manufacturers put into some papers. The optical brighteners can wash out during processing. You treat the print for a minute after is has been washed.

This does not change the basic color of the paper base, but noticably brightens the print. I have no idea of what effect it has in terms of print permanence, but can be removed by rewashing the print.

[Scott Watts]

Thanks again for your replies. I ordered 50 sheets each of the Kentmere Fineprint VC and Oriental Seagull VC-FBII, as well as 25 sheets of Bergger Prestige Variable NB (pricey stuff) all in 11x14 size. Today, I was able to spend some time printing one of my favorite negatives with each paper. I also printed the neg on my old standby...MGFB. So far, the early leader in this empirical test is the Kentmere. It has a similar emulsion speed as MGFB (about one stop faster than MGRC), but the tonal range is soooooo much better. The image came up so quickly in the developer, that I almost thought I had mistakenly exposed a sheet of RC paper, and the base is just as white as Multigrade RC...making it the whitest of the bunch The Bergger and Oriental have a slower emulsion (about one stop), and both seem to have much more contrast than either the Ilford or the Kentmere.

I put each into a 1:10 dilution of selinium for my standard 4 minutes, and again, the Kentmere looks best so far. I was very disappointed in the Bergger, as it became reddish-brown as it toned, as opposed to a cool blue.

I'll save final judgement until tomorrow, when I view the dry prints. I'll also likely make another print with the Oriental to get a feel for it's contrast (it looks like a good canidate for second place, with a base almost as white as the Kentmere). However, it looks like I'll be buying alot more Kentmere paper in the future. I'll post more when I make my final evaluation.

Scott

[Scott Watts]

Kentmere is definitely the winner. This surprises me a bit, because I had never really heard anything about Kentmere paper before this thread. I had always printed on either Kodak, Ilford, or Brilliant, and was never pleased with any of their fiber papers. My best looking prints had always been on RC paper, as it just seemed to work better for my style of printing. I would print on fiber when I had to, but, I really didn't like the results...and I absolutely hate the guesswork involved with dry-down effect. Now, I've finally found a paper that will give me the image quality I'm looking for and the permamence of fiber.

Kentmere is a fast emulsion paper which has a wonderful tonal scale that holds the highlights very well. It also has an extremely white base. In the developer, the intial image clearly pops up in the first 30 seconds, then just slowly mellows in the highlights for the remainer of the developement. My only two complaints about the paper center around selenium toning. I wish it would respond to toning more dramatically than it does, and there are also mysterious black blotches that show up along the edges of some of the prints...only after I put it in the selenium. That's not a huge concern for me though, as I routinely print with a generous border and the mat covers the affected area.

Thanks again for all your input.

Scott

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Scott,

The black "blotches" or stains that show up when you place the prints in the toner can result from not correctly fixing the print. If you have not already done it, carefully check the rest of the print to make sure you don't find any stains.

Just a thought.

I have been toying with the idea of trying some of the Kentmere products so I just might now that I read your review.

Thanks.