From: Peter Hopkins (phopkin@bcn.net)
Date: 01/04/80-01:43:02 PM Z
Crane's Papers and Alternative Processes
Dear Alt-Processors:
The folks at Crane & Co. have asked me to prepare some information
regarding the company's papers and their use by alternative-process
photographers. Over the years there has been some confusion about the
names of the Crane papers in use, their availability and their
performance. I will attempt to answer some of the questions we have
encountered and welcome your further inquiries and comments.
Peter Hopkins
Gargan Communication
399 Main St.
Dalton, MA
(413) 684-4721
(Actually, that’s my normal haunt, but I’m curently - 2/25/00 - at home
recuperating from some very inconvenient back surgery. I check my
e-mails several times a day in an attempt to overcome the boredom.)
The most widely used Crane paper is 90-pound Crane's Cover Natural
White. It used to be called Crane's Parchment. The name change was
initiated in order for Crane's Business Papers customers to better
understand which cover stocks correspond with which writing grades. For
several years, the alternative process trade has called it Crane's
Platinotype.
90-pound Crane's Cover Natural White is available from several venues.
Large sheets, called parent sheets, are available from several
photographic supply houses, including Bostick & Sullivan and
Photographer’s Formulary. Sheets of Crane's Cover in 8 1/2 x 11 are
available directly from the mill either through Crane's website:
Go To: On Line Shopping
Go To: Business Cards and Cover Stock
Or by calling the Crane Direct sales number at 1-800-5CRANE6.
You also may be able to locate parent sheets through merchants that
carry Crane's Business Papers. For a searchable list, go to:
Go To: Business Papers
Go To: Where to Buy
Merchants usually sell papers in carton quantities, which, in the case
of Crane's Cover, are 300 parent sheets. Some merchants, marked with
asterisks, specialize in ream-quantity sales.
Other Crane Papers
Some alternative process photographers use other Crane papers. The most
notable of these is Crane's Kid Finish, a 32-pound paper used for
resumes and Social Correspondence. We have learned that the paper
processes very well, but the size of the print is limited by the fact
that Kid Finish is a watermarked sheet.
Crane has been working for several months with Carl Weese to test the
performance of several other Crane Business and Social Correspondence
Papers. We expect the results of this investigation in the near future
and will report them to you. Depending upon these results, Crane also is
considering making available a wider range of sheets and sizes to the
market, most likely directly from the mill. We'll keep in touch on that
as well.
The Papermaking Process
Alternative process photography is a small but important piece of
Crane's business. But, as you can imagine, Crane's papermaking
operations are necessarily focused on other applications. Crane's Social
and Business Papers are designed to serve the requirements of several
printing and amending processes, including photo offset, thermography,
engraving, foil stamping, embossing, etc. The distinctive
characteristics of Crane's papers, especially the finish and the sizing,
are created specifically to serve these applications.
Although Crane's papers are always 100 percent cotton, other aspects of
their composition and production have changed over the years and will
likely change in the future according to the demands of Crane's dominant
markets. The changes that occur in papermaking may be based on raw
material cost advantages, such as the relative cost of cotton linters
vs. cotton rags. A new sizing formulation may be discovered that
improves Crane's performance on press. These relatively minor changes in
the papermaking process can create, we understand, more significant
impacts on alternative process photographers.
Although not an alternative process photographer, I can understand that
an artist works very hard to derive the finest possible result from the
raw materials available. And when the formulae change, the results you
have worked so hard to achieve may change.
The best recommendation we can make regarding consistency of Crane's
papers is one that several of your colleagues have made. This may sound
self-serving, but it's the best thing to do: When you find a batch of
paper that works best for you, order a bunch of it.
I hope this has proved helpful and again, I welcome your questions and
comments.
Peter
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