Gast
Hello,
Why can’t you buy this photographic paper here, even though FOTOIMPEX is the German distributor for Fotokemika?
I’ve come across this paper whilst on holiday and I really like it.
Especially now that Fomabrom is only produced in such a limited range of grades, Efkebrom would be a good alternative.
Best regards,
Paul
MirkoBoeddecker
Paul,
Fomabrom is now only produced in a very limited range of grades, as we had to guarantee minimum order quantities even for these grades.
The same applies to Fotokemika papers.
Until 1999, these were available in our range as Vario Classic and Classic Arts. The manufacturer then ceased production and has since only been producing on request.
Anyone wishing to buy 4,000 square metres or more of any photographic paper that is no longer available will be supplied by us. They’ll also get a great price ;-)
Anything less than that means we buy the minimum batch of 4,000 square metres, sell on 3 square metres, and then throw 3,997 square metres in the bin.
Unfortunately, that’s not feasible.
Best regards,
Mirko
FOTOIMPEX
MirkoBoeddecker
Varycon: we’ve had another batch made. There are still a few sizes available. It’s listed in the catalogue as Vario Classic.
Best regards,
Mirko
Gast
Hello,
But I saw these papers at a Swedish company; I won’t name them, though, as I don’t want to cause any harm to anyone here.
And Fotokemika has them on their website too.
Best regards,
Walter
Gast
Hi Walter,
That’s true, but the Swedes can usually only supply the Multigrade either.
By the way, Fotokemika.net is NOT the official Fotokemika website.
A clever Croatian registered it years ago and has been trying ever since to land the deal of a lifetime by selling it to Fotokemika. But they’re taking it in their stride. All the information on that page is a load of rubbish.
The Foma website also lists all the gradients and finishes.
But right at the bottom of the price list there’s a little asterisk that says *not in stock*.
They can do anything. You just have to order enough.
What do you think we have to put up with here when we put a paper in the catalogue and then sometimes manage to deliver it normally... and sometimes as a special order... and next year as glossy and in the autumn as matt?
As I said, the papers mentioned were in our range for over 10 years and then became impossible to source properly, so customers simply stopped coming and switched to Classic.
If we were to spread the existing demand across even more paper types now, in the end there would probably be nothing left in stock. Besides, we’d have to raise prices because there’s no such thing as a perfect warehouse where nothing goes off. A wider product range means significant additional investment in stock and high write-downs on materials that weren’t purchased after all.
That sounds harsh, but a manufacturer isn’t a philosopher or an artist.
He calculates in terms of machine running times, raw paper prices and sprues...
If there’s a profit at the end of the day, production goes ahead.
If the volume isn’t enough, the chimneys stay cold.
If you ask about stock, he grimaces, glances nervously at his watch, shifts his feet from side to side and says: “Meeee-ss Beddecker, I’ve got annooother impooortant appointment.... Thank you and goodbye!” – and off he goes :)
We must therefore focus on what is essential to keep us afloat.
At efke, that tends to be films rather than paper, and at Forte, it’s the other way round.
Incidentally, we can source the Classic Museum in all its unusual variants.
With a certain lead time.
Regards,
Mirko
