Arrgghh!! Google is worthless!!! Looking for Analogue Photo Paper - NOT- Inkjet

[AuditorOne]

Every time I do a search for sales on normal 8x10 printing paper for sale I get THOUSANDS of hits for inkjet.

[paulbarden]

WHY are you using a search engine for that anyway??! The list of North American photo paper suppliers is very small anyway, so it's not like it's hard to find retailers. Just go to B&H or Freestyle.

If you must use Google for this task, at least make your search specific enough to be useful: "silver gelatin photo paper" will usually get you what you need. Or be specific and ask for a brand name (and preferably a specific product name). But Googling "printing paper" isn't going to be very useful.

[Darren Kruger]

Try adding "darkroom" or "enlarging" to your search.

-Darren

[BrianShaw]

… or -inkjet

https://www.google.com/search?q=photographic+printing+paper+8x10+-inkjet&client=safari&sca_esv=01d6c239d929f566&channel=iphone_bm&ei=bquJZo6sH-WGt7UPleqZiAg&oq=photographic+printing+paper+8x10+-inkjet&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIihwaG90b2dyYXBoaWMgcHJpbnRpbmcgcGFwZXIgOHgxMCAtaW5ramV0MgoQABiwAxjWBBhHMgoQABiwAxjWBBhHMgoQABiwAxjWBBhHMgoQABiwAxjWBBhHSNsuUABYAHACeAGQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgKgAgeYAwCIBgGQBgSSBwEyoAcA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

[AuditorOne]

Don't pay any attention to me I am just airing my frustration out loud.

I usually do just go to BHPhoto or Freestyle but I also used to just dump a generic search on the big wide web to see what I would catch that wasn't found at the normal outlets. It has always been hit or miss but lately it seem to have gotten worse. It is as if analogue photography doesn't even exist any longer.

I have been doing a private little test of different printing methods that requires a lot of paper so I was just hoping to find some decent deals. They don't appear to exist today.

[Graham Patterson]

'darkroom printing paper' works fairly well. It's one of the problems with search engines - they return what they find on the net. Unless a lot of sites use a good unique descriptive element (assuming they even deal with a 'niche' interest), the search databases will not get hits. And it will not get any better as they add the misnamed 'AI' search tools.

Although 'analogue' is commonly used as an antonym to digital (amongst photographers), it is not used on commercial sites, and does not get much weight. It takes a surprising amount of work to drill through the 'I think this is what you want' efforts of modern systems. I must be getting older, 'cos I'm getting grumpier!

[Tin Can]

face it

join the alt forum

but soon all paper will disappear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451

[BrianShaw]

Next time try ANALOG.

[Michael R]

Switch to inkjet.

[AuditorOne]

Thanks for listening. Yesterday must have been a particularly grumpy day for me.

If I remember to throw something like RC VC into the search it usually gives me what I want but it still amazes me how often "inkjet" is represented in the results. Not even "-inkjet" keeps it entirely off the lists anymore. Maybe off the first 10 results but after that it no longer stops it. I guess I need to go back to school on search terms again. :D

[AuditorOne]

Switch to inkjet.

Nah, inkjet is too much work. I have to find the printer, make sure it is turned and the ink is not dried up again and then everyone wants to see it right away.

With REAL printing I can go in the darkroom, shut off the lights, take a nap for an hour, and come out with a dripping wet piece of paper with a picture on it that I can make everyone in my family admire. It is a whole lot more fun and a lot less work. :D

[AuditorOne]

Next time try ANALOG.

Give me a break. I'm old. Everything I learned in school, including spelling I learned by 2nd grade.

Besides that didn't work any better. :D

[Kino]

Google is a search engine that does not give unbiased returns on simple searches; hasn't for decades.

Google will allow advertisers to "position" their sales by paying to get business listings bumped-up in the results and appears to lower the criteria to single words in the search.

Here's a site that helps with "Google-Fu"; the syntax and techinques you can use to somewhat defeat the sponsor-biased algorithms;

https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/https-medium-com-what-is-googlefu-tips-and-tricks-to-be-googlefu-advanced-powersearching-with-google-f7e5661a8bca

[Sal Santamaura]

Switch to inkjet.

Possibly a very good suggestion. I recently pulled my Epson P600 out of a closet after reading about the Dmax of Canson Arches 88. Not quite perfect, but could be high enough. I might put my Canon PRO-100 in that closet and leave the Epson out for regular use. Prints so far on Arches 88 are certainly more satisfying than anything made on currently available gelatin silver papers. The challenge will be to maintain motivation for using film. Remember Scott Eaton decades back when he admonished photo.net members to "stop taking digital pictures of film?" :)

[BrianShaw]

There really should be a tag for “I’m just blowoff steam; don’t take me seriously right now.”

[BrianShaw]

Give me a break. I'm old. Everything I learned in school, including spelling I learned by 2nd grade.

Besides that didn't work any better. :D

It’s worth being a “lifelong learner”. It wasn’t so long ago that I learned about the “minus/not” search terms. That really helps.

[Jody_S]

I remember when google first came out, it was life-changing for nerds like me. Suddenly, just about any information I wanted was at the tip of my fingers, or I could get pointers on where to find it. I guess it helped that I was a student at a major university with a dozen libraries, too, and I could rapidly locate any article or book I was pointed to. I spend almost a decade buried under piles of paper, I would read two or three of the articles I found on the bus on the way home, I must have looked manic.

I cannot express how disappointed I am with not just google, but the entire Internet right now. Meanwhile, our house is filled with literal garbage my wife found on the Internet and clicked 'buy'. Mostly Amazon lately, but she'll go down a rabbit-hole on YouTube (Google!) and suddenly buy a literal box of rocks or something she plans on using for an art project. Like we don't have rocks in our yard? Our whole house is built on one!

I guess I can't complain too much, because I can't pass by a camera without buying it. I'm even worse with lenses.

[Drew Wiley]

For gosh sakes, Michael - he's in Elko. Real cowboys get around on horses, not on water skis or ink jets or whatever. And "analog" is geek vocabulary for those who don't even know what a real camera looks like. All the digital stuff is a high maintenance headache anyway. With a real camera, even if you forget to bring your dark cloth, you can always substitute the saddle blanket.

[Michael R]

I know all about Elko. I’m just saying if he switches to inkjet his google searches will be great.


For gosh sakes, Michael - he's in Elko. Real cowboys get around on horses, not on water skis or ink jets or whatever. And "analog" is geek vocabulary for those who don't even know what a real camera looks like. All the digital stuff is a high maintenance headache anyway. With a real camera, even if you forget to bring your dark cloth, you can always substitute the saddle blanket.

[AuditorOne]

I know all about Elko. I’m just saying if he switches to inkjet his google searches will be great.

Well with my piddling search skills I can certainly find inkjet stuff. Of course if I want real printing supplies it is a good thing that I have BHPhoto on speed dial or I would be completely out of luck. At least they understand what I'm asking for over the phone without my knowing to type a minus sign or a capitalized NOT.

[BrianShaw]

Speed dial… as in dial, ring, ring and talk on your phone? I didn’t know people did the much anymore. :)

[Michael R]

I just type www.b and bhphotovideo comes up, which is handy because that’s basically the only place I can get photo stuff from anyhow.


Well with my piddling search skills I can certainly find inkjet stuff. Of course if I want real printing supplies it is a good thing that I have BHPhoto on speed dial or I would be completely out of luck. At least they understand what I'm asking for over the phone without my knowing to type a minus sign or a capitalized NOT.

[Drew Wiley]

Just never try buying apples over the internet, especially if your "spell-check" is turned on. Every single time it will revert to a capital A "Apple" something or other.

One thing I will say about Elko is that they can get some really inky black skies up above there. The moment I managed to peek over the top of Ruby Crest one noon, there was a massive black front approaching at the speed of a freight train. I told my pal not to even attempt a digi snapshot, but run back downhill as fast as we could wearing those heavy packs. Within five minutes there were multiple lightning strikes right where we had momentarily been standing at the top of the pass. Got pretty well soaked with rain before finding a safe spot to put on a parka and pack cover. There are some stunning storms in that range.

[AuditorOne]

Just never try buying apples over the internet, especially if your "spell-check" is turned on. Every single time it will revert to a capital A "Apple" something or other.

That is actually funny. :D

I have never tried but I'm sure that something at least that screwed up would happen to me! I would probably own a new I-Phone 15 or something with an empty back account to go along with it.

[AuditorOne]

Speed dial… as in dial, ring, ring and talk on your phone? I didn’t know people did the much anymore. :)

Yep. Actually talking to people does still work and for me that is a good thing. Matter of fact there are a couple of those people who answer the phone who actually seem to know who I am when I talk to them.

[Drew Wiley]

Last time I actually phoned B&H, the order desk gal spent about ten minutes asking me questions about what kind of 120 roll film camera to buy for herself.

[Jody_S]

[QUOTE=Drew Wiley;1717346]Just never try buying apples over the internet, especially if your "spell-check" is turned on. Every single time it will revert to a capital A "Apple" something or other.
/QUOTE]

I tried, because I'm just that sort of guy. In about 15 seconds, Uber offered me a Granny Smith apple for sale. One single apple. For $13.93.

[ic-racer]

I typed in "ilford mg fb" and got pages and pages of links to actual photography paper.

[Sal Santamaura]

Yep. Actually talking to people does still work and for me that is a good thing. Matter of fact there are a couple of those people who answer the phone who actually seem to know who I am when I talk to them.

Ain't caller ID great?

[Tin Can]

Ain't caller ID great?

I have a one way phone

I never answer it for 5 decades

[Sal Santamaura]

Ain't caller ID great?


I have a one way phone

I never answer it for 5 decades

I've had an old-fashioned answer machine on our old-fashioned copper landline for almost as long. Anyone we want to hear from is aware they must "speak to the machine" and, if we're home, we'll pick up. I also have caller ID blocked. However, when the OP phones B&H, they're probably using the toll free number. Caller ID blocking doesn't work when calling toll free numbers.

[AuditorOne]

I've had an old-fashioned answer machine on our old-fashioned copper landline for almost as long. Anyone we want to hear from is aware they must "speak to the machine" and, if we're home, we'll pick up. I also have caller ID blocked. However, when the OP phones B&H, they're probably using the toll free number. Caller ID blocking doesn't work when calling toll free numbers.

We do the same.

As for caller ID BHPhoto have had my name and address for years so I doubt they care what they may or may not get from the caller ID. Believe me, they are not the people who try spam calling me. You do things the way you wish. I still prefer to talk to people one on one, especially when I am spending my money with them.. If I had a store in town that I could buy these things from then I would. Since I don't I use the ones that have consistently treated me well.

But that doesn't change the fact that Google hasn't been a lot of help for a very long time.