What is the best quality paper for the best value I can get?

-- Scott Marcinkus (marcink@www.downeast.net), November 22, 1998

Answers

I'm afraid this depends on what qualities you value, among other things. You'll find plenty of personal preferences expressed in this forum.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), November 23, 1998.

There is no absolute "best" anything in any medium as subjective as photography. The best value varies according to your budget and needs. The best paper varies according to the subject and your tastes.

For example, I started doing part-time commercial black-and-white printing in January 1998. To keep my costs down I bought some Aristo RC paper from FreeStyle Sales in Los Angeles. The paper printed identically to Ilfospeed RC paper, but cost 25 percent less. However, I also noticed that about five to eight percent of the paper had streaks or spots. This would not be a major concern at home, but in a commercial setting the time I wasted reprinting those few images cost me more money that the few cents I saved on the paper.

After experimenting with a few fiber base paper I have settled on Zone VI Brilliant for my landscape work and Fortezo Elegance for portraits. But I'm using graded papers, not variable contrast. And just because I like them doesn't mean they're the best for you, just that they give me the results I want.

-- Darron Spohn (sspohn@concentric.net), November 23, 1998.