Sandmann1978
Hello.
I’ve been finding quite large quantities of old ORWO photographic paper on eBay. The GDR, and with it the production of this paper, ceased more than 15 years ago.
So what are we to make of this sort of ‘slightly’ aged paper? Does it still work, or only if you’re lucky? Is it still suitable for usable results, or is it more for experimenting? Is it always baryta paper, or was it also available as PE?
Many thanks for your replies.
Kind regards,
Stefan Sandmann
Gast
Stefan,
In principle, yes, it should be fine, but only if it has been stored reasonably well and nobody has had a 'look' at it.
The paper was generally baryta paper; there were both paper-weight and card-weight varieties.
Roland
william5
Hi Stefan,
A year ago, I actually processed some paper from old stock that was twenty years old. The results were very good. However, this was subject to the same caveat that Roland mentioned: provided the paper had been stored properly – in a cool, dry place. If you come across something like that, you could be in for a bargain.
Regards, Jens
william5
One more thing I forgot to mention:
Here’s a little clue as to the age of the paper: the packets used to come in yellow and white. As far as I can remember, at some point the paper started being packaged exclusively in white packets. So if you can get hold of the white ones, you’ll have the more recent batch.
Jens
Abi
Hi Stefan,
I agree with what the others have already said. Make sure you only buy paper that’s actually labelled ‘ORWO’. Older paper produced in the GDR is sometimes still sold, e.g. Vephota Brom (please don’t confuse this with ‘Wephota’). This is now really only suitable for experiments. Also check whether the packs are full, as packs that are half-empty usually contain very wavy paper, which will give you a bit of a job in the darkroom.
Regards, Abi
Gast
All one can say is that our GDR was the greatest GDR that ever existed.
And from 1964 onwards, ORWO was the best manufacturer in the whole of the GDR.
uworischki
"...All I can say is that our GDR was the greatest GDR that ever existed.
And from 1964 onwards, ORWO was the best manufacturer in the whole of the GDR...." :lol:
and the only one, too...
but joking aside – generally speaking, you have to expect that the paper will soften a bit over the years, and that it will warp slightly (depending on the storage conditions).
Otherwise, however, you can still achieve very nice results with it.
uwe
Gast
I use the 'old' (white packaging) ORWO for lith printing myself, and get excellent results. It also reacts very well to toning. This is, of course, a matter of personal preference, so it’s worth giving it a go. It’s definitely worth a try, though.
Best regards,
Ronald
