Resin Coated

I highly recommend Resin coated papers (I prefer Ilford's products). For the home user there are a few advantages -

• Resin coated prints will be perfectly flat after drying, so it will be much easier to mount to a mounting board than would be a curled or buckled fiber based print.

• The washing time for a resin coated print is only 5 minutes in a circulating water bath, versus 1 to 2 hours for fiber based papers.

• The drying time for resin coated papers at room temperature is only matter of minutes, whereas fiber based papers can take hours to dry.

Fiber Based

This is the paper that was in use before resin coated became available. Because fiber based prints absorb chemicals, (unlike the resin coated product) the required washing time is 1 to 2 hours in a circulating water bath.

The drying time for fiber based papers will be hours in a rolled blotter, or you can purchase a heated print dryer, which will do the job in a few minutes. No matter how you dry a fiber based print, the end result will be curled edges or buckles in the center of the print. This makes a fiber based print very hard to mount, unlike the resin coated counterpart that dries perfectly flat.

Grades

Paper can be purchased as "multi-grade" or as fixed contrast grades (contrast range of 0 to 5, zero being the least contrast and 5 being the greatest). The advantage to using the "multi-grade" is that you don't have to buy a large supply of paper (grade 2, 3, 4 etc.) in each of your preferred sizes (8x10 and 11x14), since paper can be very expensive. All that you will need to purchase in order to use "multi-grade" paper is a set of inexpensive acetate filters that you can insert into your enlargers filter drawer. These filters will allow you to "adjust" the papers contrast.

Finishes

Paper can also be purchased in a variety of finishes. Most recognizable would be "Gloss", but it can also be found in "Semi-Gloss", "Matte", "Semi-Matte", Ilford's "Pearl" (my favorite), "Galerie", etc. The uses for the various textures are both practical and personal.

Applications

Uses for the various types are: Gloss & Semi-Gloss - excellent for contact sheets, metallic images, gives that "commercial", "high contrast", "high impact" look. Matte & Semi-Matte - used to portray a soft, warm appearance. "Pearl" - gives a nice almost sparkly appearance, could be used for almost any subject.

Storage

Unexposed photographic paper will deteriorate with time. The best way to store paper for an extended amount of time of over 6 months is to seal it well and then put it in a freezer. When you decide to use it again take out the whole package, leave it unopened and let it come to room temperature over a period of 6 hours. As for paper that has been sitting in the darkroom, I have used black and white paper that has been in a cool darkroom for 2 years, and it will still produce a reasonable, but not a perfect print.