VP

Supports

The right support for every process

An alternative print is won before the chemistry, on what receives it. Four supports cover our five processes: two papers cut to the print format plus a margin, a ready-to-use support that needs neither primer nor scalding, and glass for the gelatin processes.

One rule: the support follows the process

For Aquaprint, carbon, resinotype and bromoil, PULPØ is the recommended support: it leaves the pack ready to sensitise. Paper remains possible for these processes, on one condition: a coat of Primer No. 04 first, or the successive layers will not hold.

Cyanotype is the exception: it prints straight onto paper, with no primer. The 300 gsm to learn and iterate, the 640 gsm when you want texture or large format.

The four supports

Study paper

300 gsm paper — satin, hot pressed

The paper you learn and iterate on: a fine-grain satin surface that renders the detail of your negatives, a studio weight that stands up to cyanotype baths, a price that allows trials.

  • Satin, hot-pressed surface: fine grain, crisp detail
  • Print format plus a grip margin: 28 × 38 cm for A4, 39 × 54 cm for A3+
  • No optical brighteners: whites stay neutral in contact with iron salts
  • Straight clean-cut edges, no stamp, no watermark
  • 20 sheets per pack

For which processes

Formats

100% cotton, pre-sized

640 gsm cotton paper — one satin face, one rough face

The heavy weight: 640 gsm of acid-free, pre-sized cotton that takes successive baths without buckling, and two finishes in the same sheet — the satin face for detail, the rough (torchon) face for texture.

  • 100% cotton, pre-sized: no sizing, no pre-rinse before sensitising
  • Acid-free, no optical brighteners: neutral whites that do not yellow
  • Two faces: satin (hot pressed, fine grain) or rough (marked grain), chosen as you sensitise
  • Print format plus a margin: 28 × 38 cm for A4, 39 × 54 cm for A3+
  • 10 sheets per pack, moisture-proof bag

For which processes

Formats

Ready to use

PULPØ — 900 gsm, no primer

The support for layered processes: stable, acid-free, satin white. It needs neither scalding nor primer — you sensitise straight out of the pack — and it can be reused.

  • Stable and acid-free: successive layers hold, the support does not move
  • No scalding, no primer: ready to sensitise
  • Satin white: Aquaprint colours and carbon blacks come out clean
  • Reusable, 10 sheets per pack — 25 × 35 cm or 35 × 50 cm

For which processes

Formats

Gelatin processes

Tempered glass, 4 mm

For gelatin processes, glass: clear, tempered, polished edges, in packs of four plates, A4 and A3. Resinotype and bromoil are prepared on it; cyanotype too, provided the emulsion is carried in gelatin.

  • Clear tempered glass, 4 mm, polished edges
  • Packs of four plates, A4 and A3
  • Resinotype and bromoil; cyanotype only on gelatin

For which processes

Formats

Process by process

What the kit recommends, and what to prepare if you choose another support.

ProcessRecommended supportOn paper, you need
Cyanotype300 gsm paper (640 gsm as an option)Nothing: cyanotype prints directly, no primer
AquaprintPULPØA coat of Primer No. 04 before the first layer
CarbonPULPØA coat of Primer No. 04
ResinotypePULPØ, or glassA coat of Primer No. 04
BromoilPULPØ, or glassA coat of Primer No. 04

Why “A4 + margin” and “A3+ + margin”

Our sheets are not 21 × 29.7 cm: they measure 28 × 38 cm for A4 and 39 × 54 cm for A3+. “A4” and “A3+” name the print format — that of the Luminograph and of your negatives — and the sheet keeps a margin all around that you hold, clip and trim at the end. A print is handled wet through every bath: the margin is there for that.

Frequently asked questions

Which paper for a cyanotype?
The 300 gsm satin study paper, with no preparation at all: it is the recommended support of the Cyanotype kit. Move to the 640 gsm cotton when you want a rough grain, a large format or long baths. The full answer, with retail alternatives, is in our article “Which paper for a cyanotype”.
Do I need a primer on paper?
Not for cyanotype. For Aquaprint, carbon, resinotype and bromoil, yes: a coat of Primer No. 04 on the 300 or 640 gsm paper, or the successive layers will not hold. PULPØ needs none.
Is PULPØ a paper?
No. It is a 900 gsm support, stable, acid-free, satin white, that sensitises without scalding or primer and can be reused. It is the recommended support of all our kits except cyanotype.
Which face of the 640 gsm should I use?
Both exist for that: the satin, hot-pressed face renders the fine detail of a negative; the rough face gives texture and a visible grain. You choose as you sensitise, sheet by sheet.
Should I rinse or scald the paper first?
The 640 gsm is pre-sized: sensitise directly. PULPØ needs nothing either. For the 300 gsm, follow the process guide on its page.
Do your papers contain optical brighteners?
No, neither the 300 gsm nor the 640 gsm. Brighteners — fluorescent whitening agents — react with the iron salts of cyanotype and yellow the whites; both our papers are free of them. The 640 gsm is also acid-free.
And glass?
The 4 mm tempered glass comes in packs of four plates, A4 and A3, for resinotype and bromoil. Cyanotype can be prepared on it too, but only when the emulsion is carried in gelatin.

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