bernhardmangelsgmxde
Until not so long ago, the papers mentioned were also available as an affordable standard option in German-speaking countries. Does anyone actually know why this paper was ‘phased out’ as a budget option in Germany and Austria? In the UK, it’s still available at relatively reasonable prices, so even as a small-scale buyer, I’d get a much better deal by ordering from abroad, even though the shipping would cost the equivalent of 22 euros. Somehow, I don’t like either option: paying significantly more than necessary when ordering from Germany or Austria, or paying the 15 GBP + VAT when ordering from the UK... that would mainly benefit DHL, which isn’t really the point of the matter.
bernhardmangelsgmxde
didn’t mean that it had been taken off the market, but rather that it was no longer available as a “very affordable, high-quality paper made in England” – and thus an inexpensive but relatively high-quality alternative to MGIV and MCP, as prices were adjusted some time ago (by what felt like 50–70%, depending on the size; the others (MGIV, MCP, Fomaspeed VIII) were only increased by about 25% in this round, if I’ve observed correctly).
In principle, no problem. I don’t have to buy the paper, and if I want to buy it in Berlin, it’s still available. If you stick to smaller formats, you can hardly go broke buying it... as a ‘bread and butter’ paper, it would be nice to have affordable alternatives. (Now there’s only Foma, though that used to be cheaper too). In England, the paper (or a similar one?) is still available cheaply as VC Select, and these days it’s no great hassle to order from abroad. But of course I’d prefer simply to be able to order it from Impex, for example, without having to pay 20–40% (depending on the quantity) more than I would for a separate order from England, even though that would involve paying around €22 in postage.
TR
I bought a pack of Kentmere Vario-Baryt some time ago – I think from Impex – because it cost exactly the same as the Fomabrom. I was then surprised by the rapid rise in price. Incidentally, the paper itself isn’t any better than Foma’s – unless you insist on a truly neutral black-and-white tone.
