Thread: Colour Printing
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Old 11th October 2020, 07:28 AM
John King John King is online now
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: County Durham
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Default Kodak RA4 Developer

Kodak Ektacolor RA4 developer and the same brand for the blix. I bought mine from AG photographic for a 20 litre complete kit The stop bath is also from Kodak (1 to 63) dilution To buy 2 x 5 litre Tetenal kits will cost almost the same. The kit comes as 4 sets of bottles and each set making 5 litres so it will have a long shelf life.

The only thing you have to buy as an extra but only use it for the initial fill of the NOVA tank is a bottle of starter which initially stabilises the developer. The content in the emulsion of the paper takes over as you use it more and more. Strictly speaking it isn't absolutely essential but it is best to use it. That itself is reasonably cheap because for a 2 liter NOVA tank slot you only use 80cc out of a 1.2 litre bottle.

I thought at first I had over diluted the first lot of blix because it was considerably paler in colour than the Tetenal, but no, it is right and now the white areas of the paper are just that - not a light cream.

Replenishment is 10cc per 80sq ins conversely Tetenal do not give a replenishment rate which I feel should be more than that.

(if we are to face another 'lock-down' I can see me catching up on a lot of printing I have been putting off.)

Comparing the cost to printing digitally once you have paid out for the kit and a roll of paper, the digital version doesn't get a look in. Apart from being a good bit cheaper it gives a lot more satisfaction.

Last edited by John King; 11th October 2020 at 07:34 AM.
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