that's a big IF....how it was stored; heat and condition due to humidityMaybe the secondhand market is where to look. I hear paper holds up pretty well.
I purchased a box of 50 11"x14" (glossy) sheets in January from B&H for $145.95. I just checked the price and the same box is $183.99! That's a shockingly big increase in such a short period of time. I don't know what could account for such an increase but these prices are not sustainable, IMHO. I like the paper and would love to continue supporting Ilford, but at nearly $4/sheet I'm going to have to look for an alternative.
Indeed. I never really printed larger than 8x10 but I'm down to 5x7 now.
Substantial price increases on declining/legacy products - this is a tactic often used.
I'd say look for it at other photo stores & see what prices they have it at. Midwest photo has it for $149 (here: https://mpex.com/ilford-mg-fb-11x14...MI-rPt7YCAjAMVcShECB3ZKjwfEAQYBCABEgJPIfD_BwE)
I purchased a box of 50 11"x14" (glossy) sheets in January from B&H for $145.95. I just checked the price and the same box is $183.99! That's a shockingly big increase in such a short period of time. I don't know what could account for such an increase but these prices are not sustainable, IMHO. I like the paper and would love to continue supporting Ilford, but at nearly $4/sheet I'm going to have to look for an alternative.
Indeed. I never really printed larger than 8x10 but I'm down to 5x7 now.
Substantial price increases on declining/legacy products - this is a tactic often used.
Or alternatively, having to bear more and more of the fixed costs per box, as volumes shrink and setup and changeover costs add up to a higher and higher percentage of the per unit manufacturing expense.
I use Ultrafine and Multitone for work prints, Foma graded FB for exhibition prints,
I have some Lodima/Azo #2 sitting around. Maybe I can cash in and retire early.Paper doesn't hold up all that well at all. I wouldn't consider anything older than 10 years. Almost all graded papers were discontinued well before that. The only exception might be the former slow contact printing papers like Azo, which seems to keep longer. Otherwise, expect an annoying level of fog and anemic contrast performance.
Inkjet papers and inks are one of the biggest ripoffs in the industry. Art papers you coat yourself might be cheaper from outlets other than photographic stores, which probably buy them from an art supplies middleman anyway. And you're going to really get a boot kick in your butt when you see the cost of platinum salts these days. Look into carbon printing instead.
I could use a cheaper paper for work prints, but I'd have to spend time figuring out how to map a print made on one paper to the other. At one point I made work prints on the less expensive 8x10 MG Fiber paper and then made the final print on 11x14, but I found it easier to simply make tests on small bits of the 11x14 paper before committing to a full 11x14 print. I don't really know which way has the best trade off of nuisance vs economy.
I usually make initial prints on 8x10 Ilford MGRC Deluxe. The tonal range is pretty comparable to their FB and when I am ready to make 11x14 FB prints, times usually translate well--more or less +1 1/4 stops for the paper and size difference.I could use a cheaper paper for work prints, but I'd have to spend time figuring out how to map a print made on one paper to the other. At one point I made work prints on the less expensive 8x10 MG Fiber paper and then made the final print on 11x14, but I found it easier to simply make tests on small bits of the 11x14 paper before committing to a full 11x14 print. I don't really know which way has the best trade off of nuisance vs economy.
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