Kodak to End B&W Paper Production By
Mike Pasini, The Imaging Resource (Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 12:25 EDT)With publications turning to color digital imaging and amateurs to their inkjets and image editing software, sales of black and white photo paper have been steadily declining.
The Associated Press has reported that Eastman Kodak Co. will discontinue production of black and white photo paper by the end of the year. The move follows bankruptcies by Britain's Ilford, the largest black and white paper manufacturer, and Germany's AgfaPhoto GmbH.
According to Kodak spokesperson David Lanzillo, the story notes, demand for black and white paper is declining 25 percent a year. Lanzillo said the decline is the result of the imagining industry's transition from film to digital.
Kodak will continue to make both black and white film and processing chemicals. The decision to discontinue the paper made at plants in Rochester and Brazil is part of Kodak's previously announced goal of reducing its worldwide work force to 50,000 by 2007.
