Paul wrote:
> I was surprised to discover that graded paper has become a rare
> commodity.
It's kind of amusing to work down through the numbers--wish I could remember
what they really are. Black-and-white film is something like 2% of all film
sales; only 60% of people who buy B&W film are home darkroom workers; of
those, only 30% buy fiber paper at all, the other 70% RC; and of people who
shoot black-and-white film and have a home darkroom and print on fiber,
something like 13% use graded papers any more.
(Don't quote these numbers--they're not accurate except in a ballpark sense.
I'm going from memory. But you get the idea.)
The amazing thing given the statistics is that we have such a great choice
of such superb papers of all types. This is truly the golden age. Even the
run-of-the-mill papers are quite good and the best ones out there are
outstanding. I prefer Agfa Multicontrast Classic for my own work, most of
the time (I also use a lot of 8x10 Ilford Warmtone RC), but there's nothing
sacrosanct about it--there are half a dozen papers that are as good or, in
view of some peoples' needs, better.
In 1980 I believe Ilford had _just_ come out with Ilford Multigrade Fiber
Base, the first of the good VC papers on fiber. There were no others, and
many VC papers had a short density range, poor maximum black, and, in some
cases, poor permanence. There was a prejudice against RC, and against VC,
largely for good reason. Those attitudes are about as valid now as the 1970s
prejudice against Japanese cars!
I'm big on standardizing, because it's efficient to know your materials
well. But at least in the beginning, try as many papers as you can, so you
can get a feel for what's what out there. You'll probably settle down on a
favorite fairly quickly.
On thing I'd say about your situation is that you shouldn't be limited to
what your local store stocks. Mailorder is fast and efficient these days,
and you need a stock of paper anyway. Graded paper is just a phone call and
a day away in most parts of the U.S. So don't let its lack of local
availability stop you from trying it.
--Mike
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