Why no 8 x 12 Photo Paper

  • Thread starter Thread starter Frank Arthur
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Frank Arthur

Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
 
Frank Arthur said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

Good question, something I've wondered myself.

Greg
 
Frank said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...


Becasue they're idiots.

In effect the photo imaging industry are idiots.

They've passed up a huge opportunity to adopt sensors that are
proportioned per the ISO 216 "A" system. 1:SQRT(2) = SQRT(2):2 .

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html

The relationship of these paper sizes is akin to aperture stops which is
ironic.

Cheers,
Alan.
 
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

So they can't be easily and inexpensively cut down to 4" x 6"? :)
 
Frank said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

Paper has traditionally been made at the factory (not photo paper, but
all types of paper) certain widths on very wide rolls. The machinery is
very large, very expensive and last a very long time. All kinds of
industries use paper including newspapers, paper towels, photography,
packaging, construction etc. All these industries have their own machines
designed for certain size paper. Many years of history have determined the
standards. They don't always make sense in today's world, but changing one
size can mean many other sizes and uses would be affected.

The fun part of all this is on the other side of the pond, all those
sizes are different from in the US. If we really wanted to make a change,
we should really look to change to the standards the rest of the world is
using and progress that direction in a planed orderly manner.
 
Joseph Meehan said:
Paper has traditionally been made at the factory (not photo paper, but
all types of paper) certain widths on very wide rolls. The machinery is
very large, very expensive and last a very long time. All kinds of
industries use paper including newspapers, paper towels, photography,
packaging, construction etc. All these industries have their own machines
designed for certain size paper. Many years of history have determined
the standards. They don't always make sense in today's world, but
changing one size can mean many other sizes and uses would be affected.

The fun part of all this is on the other side of the pond, all those
sizes are different from in the US. If we really wanted to make a change,
we should really look to change to the standards the rest of the world is
using and progress that direction in a planed orderly manner.
Click to expand...

Photo Paper is available in 8 x 10 inch sizes indicating the 8 inch width is
standard.
So are rolls of paper 8 inches wide. Cutting & packing 8 x 12 would be
relatively easy
if customers demanded it.
 
Joseph Meehan wrote:

Frank Arthur wrote:



Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers? 35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?



Paper has traditionally been made at the factory (not photo paper, but all types of paper) certain widths on very wide rolls. The machinery is very large, very expensive and last a very long time. All kinds of industries use paper including newspapers, paper towels, photography, packaging, construction etc. All these industries have their own machines designed for certain size paper. Many years of history have determined the standards. They don't always make sense in today's world, but changing one size can mean many other sizes and uses would be affected.


There is a similar logic to photo frame sizes.


The fun part of all this is on the other side of the pond, all those sizes are different from in the US. If we really wanted to make a change, we should really look to change to the standards the rest of the world is using and progress that direction in a planed orderly manner.
 
Frank Arthur said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

Probably because 8x12 isn't a standard size in the US - picture frames are
commonly available as 8x10. Try to find a 1 hour photo printer that will do
an 8x12. I agree, 8x12 would be a great option (at least for landscape
orientation) but 8x10 has been a standard photo size for a very long time.

Mark
 
Frank Arthur said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...


Epson sells roll photo paper 8.3 inches x32 feet. I use it for 8x12's
and also panorama prints.
 
Frank said:
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

13x9 is more what you'd want to print your 8x12 on anyway (for framing)....
-And that's the REAL question...

-----Why in H-E-C-K(!!!!!) is it so freaking impossible to buy frames for
the 3:2 ratio!!!!!!!??????

I would have thought that after a zillion years of 35mm...and the huge
adoption of 3:2 DSLR ...that somebody...somewhere...would start selling
frames for the ratio. Instead, we have a glut of everything but 3:2.

Drives me crazy.
 
Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?

35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
Click to expand...

For the same reason hot dogs come 10 to a package and buns come 8 or 12
to a pack.
 
For the same reason hot dogs come 10 to a package and buns come 8 or 12
to a pack.
Click to expand...

Many hot dogs come 8 to the pack. Two that come to mind are
Nathan's and Hebrew National. H.N. also has a "Premium Taste"
product that has only 7 to the pack, but the reason for that is
pretty clear - profit. Just 6 of the Nathan's hot dogs weigh as
much as the entire H.N. Premium Taste pack.
 
Probably because the whole inkjet industry came from the business
machines industry and started by distributing printers that print on
standard business page paper.

Also, the early printer were unable to print without fairly large uneven
boarders, and the printers still need to print letter size anyway, for
letter printing.

Lastly, being from the business side of things, the companies that were
hired to make the papers probably mainly produced business dimensional
paper and so already have the the large paper rolls and the slitting
machines set up for those sizes.

Art
 
I'll have to retract that last posting.

The 8" x 12" materials I have found are mainly very specialized papers,
not for inkjet use.

Art
 
Mark² said:
13x9 is more what you'd want to print your 8x12 on anyway (for framing)....
-And that's the REAL question...

-----Why in H-E-C-K(!!!!!) is it so freaking impossible to buy frames for
the 3:2 ratio!!!!!!!??????

I would have thought that after a zillion years of 35mm...and the huge
adoption of 3:2 DSLR ...that somebody...somewhere...would start selling
frames for the ratio. Instead, we have a glut of everything but 3:2.
Click to expand...

Actually Frame Destination now has several 2:3 frames including 8x12
opening with a 12x16 or 16x20 frame.

Greg
 
Frank Arthur wrote:
: > Why can't you buy 8 x 12 inch Photo Paper for Epson or HP Printers?
: >
: > 35mm Film Cameras and Digital Cameras use the 2:3 proportions
: > so they would fit 8 x 12 paper yet none is available. Anyone know why?
:
: Paper has traditionally been made at the factory (not photo paper, but
: all types of paper) certain widths on very wide rolls. The machinery is
: very large, very expensive and last a very long time. All kinds of
: industries use paper including newspapers, paper towels, photography,
: packaging, construction etc. All these industries have their own machines
: designed for certain size paper. Many years of history have determined the
: standards. They don't always make sense in today's world, but changing one
: size can mean many other sizes and uses would be affected.

How do you explain the fact that more than half the newspapers in the United
States, including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Wall Street
Journal, have changed their size in the past few years?

: The fun part of all this is on the other side of the pond, all those
: sizes are different from in the US. If we really wanted to make a change,
: we should really look to change to the standards the rest of the world is
: using and progress that direction in a planed orderly manner.

Why should we be the ones to change? For better or for worse, we probably
consume more paper than the rest of the world combined.

Bob
 
: Arthur Entlich wrote:
:
: > The rolls aren't 8" wide. They are more likely 51-52 inches wide or
: > more. European width of A4 is about 8.25" wide, US letter is 8.5.
: >
: > But if you just have to have 8" x 12" paper consider this (and other
: > websites). I just put: 8" x 12" paper into Google.
: >
: > http://www.richardfrankfurt.co.uk/index.php?productID=36
: >
: >
: > Art
:
: prior to A4 there was Foolscap - 8½ × 13½ inches (216 × 343 mm)

The metric dimensions of Foolscap are probably irrelevant. I believe it
originated in England long before England went metric.

How widely accepted a standard did the size of Foolscap become anyway?
Foolscap originated as a proprietary product, taking its name from the
watermark applied by its manufacturer.

Bob
 
Why should we be the ones to change? For better or for worse, we probably
consume more paper than the rest of the world combined.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there is a global market for paper. It sounds expensive to
ship (pre-cut) paper all over the world.

My guess is that cases where content is produced in the US and printed
in Europe, or where content is produced and printed in the US and then
shipped to Europe (or vice versa) are limited enough that there won't be
enough economic impact to change in one direction or another.
 
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