You digiheads want tradition? I got yer tradition right here.
The maker of my favorite inkjet printing paper, Hahnemühle, in Germany (it's in Dassel, which is in North Germany, near Hanover), has been making paper continuously since William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. The company (which has only been called Hahnemühle since 1886, which was two years before George Eastman marketed "The Kodak" and coined the famous slogan, "You press the button—we do the rest") is celebrating its 425th birthday this year. Not many companies, let along photographic companies, let alone digital photography product manufacturers, can lay claim to such a longstanding heritage.
Happy Birthday, Hahnemühle. Here's to the next four hundred and twenty-five years. Never again should it be said that digital photography has no tradition.
What did they do with all that (400 yrs) inkjet paper before there were inkjet printers?
Posted by: Riley | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 01:29 PM
Riley,
Paper had many uses before inkjet printers came along. It was used to write on, draw on, and print on. There are still many uses for it. There are people called "artists" who use paper for all sorts of things, and old-fashioned information storage often consisted of a sort of codex that's basically a stack of like-sized sheets of paper bound together along one edge. It was very useful stuff. Some people would say it still is.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 01:43 PM
"What did they do with all that (400 yrs) inkjet paper before there were inkjet printers?"
Hey Riley, what do you think this is, a Gawker forum? :)
They used the inkjet of its day, the fountain pen.
Posted by: misha | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 02:38 PM
Since the time of Shakespeare? I'd say they've displayed Teutonic perseverance in the paper industry.
Posted by: John Roberts | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:11 PM
Hanemulhe was Gutenberg's brother. His full name is Hanemulhe Gutenberg von Dassel.
Posted by: alex | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:18 PM
Another smart German, Gutenberg, must have had stock in these guys. He invented a kind of press, so one could create an entire page of information at a time, instead of writing out a letter at a time. Many folk worried that it would eliminate the need for monks to transcribe books, and ruin the individuality of books created one at a time. Strange twists and turns. At least whoever it was that coined the phrase "paperless society" did not have the ear of Hahnemuhle.
Posted by: John Sarsgard | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:19 PM
You mean "Since deVerre wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'"
Posted by: Archer Sully | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:19 PM
The first 400 years of inkjet paper production was just long foresight, sort of like the Moller flying car.
Posted by: Eolake Stobblehouse | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:21 PM
Sepia toned prints on their Fine Art Pearl paper look amazing!
Posted by: _#_ | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 04:41 PM
Just try to post a negative review on any of their products (and they do have really bad ones) on the Hahnemühle product page. You will see how managing director Joerg Adomat plays it dumb.
Right, any company wants to cover up negative feedback. I just wonder why bother allowing people put ratings and then not showing any below 5 stars? This is a bad PR. And of course I won't trust any reviews - stuffed and filtered.
I am sorry for the company which is _that_ old.
Posted by: Dibutil Ftalat | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 05:19 PM
Fountain pen? Bah! Modern industrial rubbish.
Goose quill.
...Mike F
Posted by: MikeF | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 05:52 PM
It was used to write on, draw on, and print on.
How quaint.
Posted by: John Bates | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 06:34 PM
Riley,
That's why inkjet paper is so %$#&! expensive!
Just imagine the storage costs for that length of time!
Yes, Hahnemuhle were definitely ahead of their time. It's a wonder they survived at all.
Posted by: Kent | Saturday, 18 April 2009 at 06:35 PM
A bit OT, but with the talk of the printing press et al, has anyone else noticed that oft-maligned comic book font is used in one of the ads on the right?
Posted by: Richard Man | Sunday, 19 April 2009 at 04:37 AM
Just as well they're in the paper business 'cos they can't take a photo upright.
It's amazing to wonder where we'd be without paper and what a mess we'll be in if it ever disappears.
Posted by: Martin Doonan | Sunday, 19 April 2009 at 07:49 AM
"...has anyone else noticed that oft-maligned comic book font is used in one of the ads on the right?"
I know I'm going to get blasted for this, but I love Comic Sans.
Posted by: misha | Sunday, 19 April 2009 at 03:23 PM
"Sepia toned prints on their Fine Art Pearl paper look amazing!"
It's interesting how digital photography can't stand on its own.
Digital prints are not toned, since you print it direct to its final color.
No Mike, it has no tradition yet.
Helcio
Posted by: Helcio J Tagliolatto | Sunday, 19 April 2009 at 09:10 PM