ILFORD Value Pack — RC Deluxe Glossy 8x10 Paper, 25 Sheets + 2 HP5 Plus 400 35mm Rolls

This ILFORD Value Pack brings together the materials for photographing a small project and printing selected negatives: two HP5 PLUS 400 rolls in 35mm format, with 36 exposures per roll, plus 25 sheets of 8x10-inch MULTIGRADE RC DELUXE Glossy paper. It is supplied as one manufacturer bundle.

Why the pairing makes sense

HP5 PLUS is an ISO 400, medium-contrast black and white film with wide exposure latitude. That makes it a flexible candidate for a documentary walk, family photographs or changing available light. The paper then gives you another stage of control: decide which photographs to print, how to crop them and how much contrast each one needs.

The film's contrast and the print's contrast are related, but they are not the same setting. Exposure and film development establish the negative you have to work with; filtration and exposure in the enlarger shape the final print. You can explore both stages within one project without assuming every frame needs the same printing treatment.

The paper's look and feel

The included paper is current fifth-generation RC DELUXE Glossy, with a smooth, reflective surface, neutral paper whites and a neutral-to-warm image tone. Gloss is worth choosing when you want dark shapes, highlights and tonal separation to have a strong visual presence. View a test print under the intended display lighting, since a reflective surface can also pick up direct lights.

Compatible MULTIGRADE filters cover grades 00–5, from softer to harder contrast; suitable enlarger-head filtration is another option. Make a fresh test strip for each selected negative rather than expecting one exposure to suit the whole roll.

Plan the film and paper separately

Two 36-exposure rolls provide 72 nominal camera exposures, while the pack contains 25 paper sheets. Allow paper for contact sheets, exposure tests and revised prints as well as final enlargements. It is a useful amount for choosing a small body of work, rather than printing every frame once at full size.

If you already have negatives ready to print, RC DELUXE Glossy paper on its own may be the more direct purchase. Choose the bundle when you also want these two rolls of HP5 PLUS.

Two processes, with different light handling

Develop the film first in suitable black and white film chemistry, or have a lab process it. Loading exposed HP5 into a developing tank requires complete darkness. The paper can be handled under an appropriate paper safelight, but that safelight does not make unprocessed HP5 safe to expose.

Printing requires an enlarger and paper developer, stop bath, fixer and washing. The RC base simplifies washing and drying compared with fibre paper; air-dry processed sheets after removing surplus water. This light-sensitive paper is not inkjet media. See ILFORD's guides to film processing and preparing to print.

Included in this value pack

• 2 × HP5 PLUS 400 35mm / 135 film rolls; 36 exposures each
• 25 × MULTIGRADE RC DELUXE Glossy sheets; 8x10 in / 20.3x25.4 cm
• Paper: RC base, 190gsm base weight, Glossy 1M surface
• Black and white film and variable-contrast silver gelatin paper
• Chemistry, camera, enlarger and processing equipment are not included