Fine art photographer Keith Dotson compares three darkroom photo papers from Ilford
In this video, I’ll show you the results of my darkroom work with three Ilford darkroom photo papers: Ilford Classic Glossy, Ilford Classic Matt, and Ilford Warmtone Semimatt.
See my gallery of small darkroom prints for sale on my main website here
Video: Ilford Darkroom Photo Papers Compared
Sample prints
For the best view of the papers, be sure to watch my video above, but the close-up images below are intended to give an idea of the papers’ textures and color.
![Close-up photo of the surface of the Ilford Classic Glossy reveals a slight but pleasing bit of texture and some shine.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9697-copy-960x1280.jpg)
![This close-up photo of the surface of a print made on Ilford Classic Matt shows good blacks and very little reflected light in the form of shine.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9699-copy-960x1280.jpg)
![The surface of Ilford Warmtone SemiMatt looks very similar to the surface of Classic Matt, but warmer, with blacks looking more like a dark warm gray or brown.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9698-copy-960x1280.jpg)
![This photograph of a classic car on the lford Classic Matt shows the characteristic paper curl of fiber-based papers. They must be flattened before mounting and framing.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9393-copy-960x1095.jpg)
![Black and white gelatin silver darkroom print of the Alamo, printed on Ilford Warmtone Semimatt paper, mounted on acid-free backing board, signed on the back in pencil. Buy this print here.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_9264-Alamo-Darkroom-Print-8-x-10-Ilford-Warmtone-Gelatin-Silver-Fiber-Based-copy-1-960x1280.jpg)