I have been using AGFA Classic for going on 4 years now and it has been a kind of love-hate relationship. It is a very good paper and would encourage anyone interested to give it a try. I have been thinking about giving a few other papers a try but I am a little worried because the papers that interest me have "brightened base". About 10 years ago in a workshop setting this topic came up and the instructor commented that he was part of a group of art photographers that Ilford was working with to learn the darkroom work habits of art photographers. At that time the brighteners being used only had a "wet time" of about two hours before the brighteners washed away. Have the brighteners being used today improved? I would appreciate input on this subject.

-- Jeff White (zonie@computer-concepts.com), February 10, 1999

Answers

Brighteners

Jeff- In a word - no - The brightners that are placed in all contemporary papers have changed little since they were first introduced. In fact the AGFA paper you have been using also contains a brightner. These can be washed out of the print by extensive wet time as well as washing. (eg -allowing the print to sit in a holding bath of water for an extended length of time ) It is best to keep your wet times to a minimum if you wish to take advantage of the brightner effect in these papers.

-- jim megargee (mvjim@interport.net), February 15, 1999.

Sprint makes a brightner, forgotten the name,think it's End Run, that can be done as a final treatment prior to drying to replace the brightners that have been washed out.

OTOH, Henry Wilhelm in his book on print and color stability indicates that the brightners fade unevely over time and seems to recommend against the use of them. From his comments I would conclude that it is better to wash them out and not worry about it.

-- James D. Steele (jdsteele@erols.com), February 18, 1999.

Has anyone actually tested the retention of brighteners or is this just the old tale being repeated? The only thing I've seen recently in the literature was David Vestal's reporting that as far as he could see the brighteners in the papers he was using couldn't be washed out at least overnight. Of course we know there was a problem with the titanium dioxide brightener in RC paper leaching out into the emulsion, but that was 20 years ago and things have changed a bit. So...any reflection densitometer readings out there to back up the notion that brighteners wash out in a "reasonable" wet time?

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), February 26, 1999.