Color Photographic Paper

Group 2

Photographic printing papers are coated with light sensitize emulsion and usually made up of
three emulsion layers, each sensitive to a different wavelength of light. Choose the appropriate
color photographic paper for the process you are using: either Color Negative Paper or Color
Reversal Film. Color negative paper is meant for the negative-to-positive process. These papers
will have names ending in -color, as in Agfacolor or Kodak’s Ektacolor. Color reversal films are
meant for enlarging slides on transparency in a positive-to-positive process. These papers have
names ending in -chrome, as in Ilfochrome.
Photographic emulsions are light-sensitive coatings on film made up of grains of micron-sized
silver halide or bromide crystals suspended in a gelatin. When you expose the photosensitive
crystals to light, they undergo a chemical change that allows images to appear on bases.

Characteristics of Color Photographic Paper

 Color
Each brand of color paper tends to reproduce certain colors differently. The variations are
slight and are not advertised, but you may notice that on brand prints a little warmer or
cooler than another or that certain colors are more or less vibrant. This is a result of the
different dyes and paper base used by manufacturers. Even when using the same type and
brand of paper, there may be a slight difference in color from one box of paper to the
next. Paper emulsions are produced in batches and may vary from batch to batch. Most
boxes show batch numbers if consistency is an issue.

 White Paper
Better used in police photography

 Cream Paper
Preferred for pictorial effect, portraits, landscapes or where warmth effect is desired

 Buff Paper
Paper for tone prints

 Surface
Papers are available in matte, semi-matte (also called pearl or luster) and glossy surfaces.
Matte papers are less reflective than glossy papers. Glossy papers tend to make the image
seem sharper, higher contrast, and with greater color saturation.

 Glossy Paper
Designed for fine details and brilliant image formation
  Semi-matte Paper
Obscure fine details

 Rough Paper
Used for large prints or where breath rather than detail is necessary

 Weight
Most color papers are medium weight, though each brand will have a slightly different
thickness.

Boxes containing sheets of paper come in the following standard sizes: 8x10”, 11x14”,
16x20”, 20x24”, 20x30” and 30x40”. For mural prints, papers are usually available in
rolls, which can be as large as 72” x 100’. If processing in a machine processor, check to
see the width of the feed tray

 Light Weight
Designed for high flexibility and when paper thickness is not of consideration. Intended
for purposes which involved folding

 Single Weight
Used for small prints or which are needed to be mounted on solid fine details necessary in
the production. Used in ordinary photographic purposes

 Double Weight
Generally used for large prints because they stand up under rough treatment.