Foma FOMATONE MG Classic B&W Variable-Contrast Photographic Paper (8 x 10", 25 Sheets, Matte) creates warm tone images with that subdued matte finish. This fiber paper is also flexible in printing, allowing for contrast to be varied from 0 to 5, depending on the desired effect. Toning and use of common developers is suitable for FOMATONE paper. It is recommended that FOMATONE be kept in its original light-safe packaging in a cool, dry place at a temperature of 68° to ensure full validity over its lifespan.
In General
FOMATONE MG is a variable-contrast photographic paper working in a warm tone,specially designed for portrait photography and retro style works. Its contrast can bevaried in a large extent from extra soft up to ultra hard by using color filters atexposure. The paper is manufactured using a special silver chlorobromide emulsionthat gives the silver image a brown-green to warm-brown tone that can further beinfluenced by the type of developer used. The paper base involved is colored incompliance with the tone of the developed silver. This accentuates rich scale ofwarm halftones ranging from light cream up to saturated brown -to-green black ones.Regarding its low speed, the paper is designed primarily for contact work; it can be,however, used as an enlargement paper as well.
Safelighting
When working with FOMATONE MG, the same safelighting can be used as withother common black-and-white photographic papers, i. e. yellow-green, orange andred safelighthing with filters (e.g. Ilford 902, Osram Duka 50, Durst Sanat, Agfa G7,Agfa YJ7 etc.)
Exposure
FOMATONE MG can be exposed in all types of enlargers and printers equipped with tungsten or tungsten halogen lamps. Particularly suitable are devices with a special color mixing heads for multi-contrast papers. Other enlargers can also be used, but separate correction filters should be inserted during exposure.
During enlarging, a fact has to be taken into account that the speed of this paper isconsiderably lower than that of other Foma photographic papers so that exposure times have to be adequately longer. Besides, the Schwarzschild effect, being shownparticularly at long exposures (above 15 minutes) along with a low intensity of light,which is characteristic for this type of paper, should be taken into account
Contrast Control
The contrast can be continuously varied from extra soft (contrast grade 0) to ultrahard (contrast grade 5). FOMATONE MG being sensitized in blue and greenspectral areas, its contrast is controlled using yellow and magenta filters duringexposure. If only the blue sensitized part of the emulsion is exposed (under magentafilters), the contrast will increase; if the green sensitized part of the emulsion isexposed (under yellow filters), the contrast will reduce. If no color filtration is used,the contrast grade of the paper equals 2 (special).The following methods and devices are recommended for the contrast control:
- Standard sets of filters for variable-contrast papers (e.g. Foma Variant Filters, Ilford Multigrade Filters, etc)
- Magenta and yellow filters in color mixing heads
- Special enlarging heads for variable-contrast papers
- Color printing filters (yellow and magenta)
- Color printers with a program for variable-contrast papers
- Black & White printers with an inserted magenta filter for hard and ultra hard contrast grades
Toning
FOMATONE MG can be toned using the Fomatone Sepia two-bath toner by which a yellow-brown image tone can be obtained. In this case the temperature of the toning bath is not as relevant as with Fomaspeed-type photopapers. The prints should be mildly overexposed for toning. A blue tone can be obtained using the Fomatoner Indigo Set. The resulting image tone depends on dilution, temperature and toning time
Storage
FOMATONE MG should be stored in an intact original packaging in a dry, cold place(temperatures of up to 20°C and relative humidities ranging from 50 to 60%), out of reach of harmful vapors, gases and ionizing radiation
Processing
FOMATONE MG can be processed both manually in trays and automatically in rollerdeveloping machines. The processing procedure does not differ substantially fromthat for other Foma photopapers. Any common developers are suitable but FomatolLQN, Fomatol P and Fomatol PW developers are particularly recommended fortheir brown-green and warm-brown image tone respectively; the last developerhaving specially been formulated for this paper. In general it is necessary to take intoconsideration that any developers giving more expressed images usually reducecontrast and the yield of speed. To obtain warmer tones of developed silver, shorterdevelopment times are recommended (up to an optimum of 3 minutes, dependingon the type of developer used). Stopping the development before fixing is veryimportant with this paper - any neglecting the procedure recommended can cause non-homogenities of gray areas on prints. To accentuate the resulting image tone, special developers of foreign manufacturers designed for warm image tones are recommended, e.g. Agfa Neutol W A, Tetenal Neutral type Liquid and the like