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Old 29th July 2013, 08:40 AM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Default Archival RC prints?

When resin-coated (RC) paper first became available the photo-print print guru Ctein prophesied that prints made on this material would not last. This opinion has been handed around ever since, but almost 40 years have now passed and there has been no evidence of image failure.
Four factors define the lifespan of silver-gelatine images: storage, display and handling, but mainly washing. If process chemicals are left in the gelatine, they will attack the metallic silver particles that make up the image. These chemicals cling to the fibres of traditional fibre-based non-RC paper and need prolonged immersion in running water to remove them. For acceptable permanence, a typical batch of fibre-based A3 prints needs to be washed for at least an hour at 12°C in a flow of 2...3 litres/min. That’s 150 litres! Colder water needs even longer.
In many parts of the world, even in England, water is becoming a scarce commodity and its management and distribution has a heavy environmental cost.
RC paper needs much less water because the fibre core is sandwiched between two waterproof layers of polyethylene that prevent chemicals from soaking in. The image-forming gelatine layer releases its contaminants quite quickly, so a ten-minute wash in a purpose-designed tank at the same flow and temperature gives true archival permanence. The resin layers also prevent contaminants from mounting boards from migrating into the image.
Some users have complained of the relatively poor gloss of prints on RC paper, and therefore poor blacks. This is true of air-dried RC prints, which have a misty, veiled appearance. But if they are dried instantly under the searing heat of a radiant element (such as in the Ilfolab 1250/5250 RC dryer) the glaze matches traditional gloss paper.
As for storage, display and handling, this Photo.net posting from Kelly Flanagan (2006 Sep 27) indicates, RC paper may actually survive better in extreme conditions.
“At my summer house that got flooded by Katrina, the RC prints are the majority of ones that survived, and the so called ‘archival’ traditional non-RC stuff mostly became a mess with the entire image gone. Many of these RC prints were from late 1960's, old Luminos stuff, the old 9 dollar per 100 sheets of 8x10 that was not suppose too last long. In some friends’ houses that turn into slabs, they lost all their stuff. What’s weird is that I found images that they had emailed years ago still in my 'saved from XYZ' folders, and ABC folders used to sort my mail. With salt, a lens that has aluminum usually gets stuck, diaphrams rust, you find a lens in the rubble with salt water in it from a year ago. Some of the RC prints just required rinsing off, while the traditional stuff all became a stuck together wad of prints where the image is a bunch of black goo.”
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Old 29th July 2013, 10:19 AM
MikeHeller MikeHeller is online now
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My experience is that RC prints have lasted as well if not better than FB prints over the last 20 years although the FB prints are generally older - up to 30 years old. They have generally been in boxes and not hung on walls and exposed to sunlight, direct or indirect. I haven't observed any veiling of blacks but generally used pearl or satin finish papers as I find the glossy RC too shiny. Glossy FB un-glazed was OK IMO. I haven't used FB for some time because of the ease and convenience (including the short wash necessary) of working with RC.
Mike
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Old 29th July 2013, 12:09 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I have used mainly RC paper for some years now, at least 30, and have yet to see any prints deteroite, I have also used some FB paper, but for the last 3 years I have used exclusivly and as far as archival properties I see no difference between my prints maded on rc or fb,
Richard
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Old 29th July 2013, 12:38 PM
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Anyone who's interest is in obtaining the best possible print quality will not be using RC paper for their Fine Prints so how well they archive is not important.
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Old 29th July 2013, 12:57 PM
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my RC prints have also lasted as long as my FB prints ,I also think that some pictures look better on one type of paper than the other ,I always use both ...




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Old 29th July 2013, 01:42 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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I wash my RC prints for two minutes in a good flow of running water. I think this is what Ilford recomend. I didn't think ten minutes was necessary, but I would do that if required for permenance. I wonder if wash aid would help? As far as drying is concerned, I air dry my RC prints. I have often wondered about making my own heated dryer. Is the temperature critical, or could I use a simple heater like a grill? I know a hair dryer can be used, but that might be prone to damaging the print due to handling. Alex
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Old 29th July 2013, 02:01 PM
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photomi7ch photomi7ch is offline
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It is a myth that the fibers in FB paper hold chemical residue the longest it is the emulsion and how long the wash should be is dependent on method used as well as water flow rate.

I like others have found no problems with the keeping qualities of RC paper. As to whether one is better than another that is down to personal choice.
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Old 29th July 2013, 03:12 PM
MikeHeller MikeHeller is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Butler View Post
Anyone who's interest is in obtaining the best possible print quality will not be using RC paper for their Fine Prints so how well they archive is not important.
J.
I am not convinced although I accept the arguments about the higher silver content and possibly deeper blacks. A good print is a good print however produced and I have reservations about 'archival quality' - there are many paintings (and indeed photographs) in museums and collections where the colour has changed or the paint medium is sliding off the picture; they are still of interest and value (not just ££).
Mike
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Old 29th July 2013, 04:01 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeHeller View Post
I am not convinced although I accept the arguments about the higher silver content and possibly deeper blacks.
I have been using a makeshift reflection densitometer (not very repeatable - I'm going to get a proper one soon) and I can assure that the 'possibly deeper blacks' of fibre paper' compared with RC are measurably not so. I don't know about the 'higher silver content' but a side-by-side visual evaluation and Dmax comparison between fibre and RC base show no obvious difference. It's what's above the baryta that counts!
As for the washing times, the whole point of RC was to minimise carryover. Consult the washing specifications published by Kodak, Agfa and Ilford for FB and RC paper!
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Old 29th July 2013, 04:04 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Butler View Post
Anyone who's interest is in obtaining the best possible print quality will not be using RC paper for their Fine Prints so how well they archive is not important.
J.
I completely disagree, I have been making fine prints on RC for many years, in fact I prefer to work with RC
Richard
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