ILFACOLOR (by 1962 renamed ILFOCOLOR) Colour Printing Paper
This colour printing paper was introduced at the same time as roll film Ilfacolor (1960). By 1962 both the films and the paper had been renamed ILFOCOLOR.

As far as is known, Ilfacolor paper was an “Agfa” type paper, meaning it used (as became conventional) substantive colour couplers i.e. the colour couplers were incoporated directly into the three colour imaging layers. The emulsions were coated onto a paper base and the paper had a glossy surface which could be glazed. The paper was for sale only to professional photographers and photo finishers.

For photographers working in their own darkrooms, the processing chemicals were obtainable in small sized kits making 2 litres of each of the four solutions. Ilfacolor paper could be handled under an Ilford safelight screen CP No. 912. It is likely that the paper’s blue sensitive emulsion was faster than the red and green emulsions, as the negative film had an “orange” mask, much the same as Kodacolor film, although the masks would have been different shades of orange/red.

The paper may have been an improved version of ICI colour paper, which was designed for the masked 'Icicolor' negative film.

Processing Sequence for Ilfacolor Paper
Expose the paper and then process in total darkness or under Ilford safelight filter CP No. 912 for first three steps.

Step	Solution	Time (minutes)	Temperature °F
1.	Colour Developer	8	68 +/- ½
2.	Rinse	Brief; 5 – 10 secs
3.	Stop – Fix	4	64 – 72
Room lights can be turned on.
4.	Wash	8	50 – 72
5.	Bleach – Fix	12	64 – 72
6.	Wash	8	50 – 72
7.	'Condition Bath'	4	64 – 72
8.	Rinse	Brief; 5 – 10 secs
9.	Dry

Notes:

1. No temperature is given for the two rinse steps, or any time, but it is likely that the time would have been 5 seconds to no longer than 10 seconds.
2. The “Condition Bath” (Step 7) was a kind of Stabilizer. ICI colour negative process for their Icicolor film gives “Conditioner” as the last bath before rinsing and drying the film. The “Condition Bath” may have been a Hardening bath where formalin was added to enable the prints to be dried using heat or to be glazed.
3. A Kodak Wratten 10H safelight filter was compatible with Ilfacolor paper.
4. Once mixed the developer chemicals would keep for one week and had a capacity of 16 off 8 x 10 inch sheets of paper.
   

Ilfacolor paper could be exposed "additively" (the three exposure method; separate exposures to red, green and blue light), or using subtractive “white light” (the one exposure method). For the three exposure method, Ilford filters No. 205 (Red), No. 408 (Green), and No. 601 (Blue) were recommended. These were described as “Narrow cut Tri-colour filters”. The No. 601 blue, is possibly a typographical error, as the “Narrow cut Tri-colour Blue” is listed as No. 306 in the 1956 in the “Ilford Photographic Materials” catalogue.

Five day courses of instruction at the “Ilford Colour School” in the use of Ilfacolor materials and Ilfachrome film were available to professional photographers and printers working in photo finishing laboratories (Ref: B.J.Almanac, 1961).

It is believed that Ilford ceased manufacture of Ilfacolor film, by then called Ilfocolor, by 1970, but there are no references or any other information about Ilfacolor paper after 1962.

Most of this information is taken from one book on colour printing. It is possible that Ilfacolor paper was an upgrade of ICI colour paper. The only other manufacturer of colour paper for printing from “masked” colour negative films was Kodak in 1960. All other colour negative films were unmasked.

Announced in 1992, Ilford release a RA-4 colour paper with the same ultra-high gloss Melinex ployester base as Cibachrome (Ilfochrome Classic). Named Ilfocolor Deluxe, it was (originally) made for both EP-2 and RA-4 colour print processes. Photo Pro magazine (Aug/Sept 1993, p62) reported:
"the paper behaved impeccably, giving good, rich colour with excellent saturation and sharpness. This is the paper to use for standard commercial photography". It cost £36.46 for 100sheets of 10"x8" or £43.78p for 50sheets of 12"x16".

An advertisement in Amateur Photographer, 6th July 1996, by the company 'Capitol sound & vision' shows Ilfocolor RA-4 25 sheet packs of 10"x8" glossy at £14.99 and 10 sheet packs of 12"x16" also as £14.99.

By the end of 1993 (or start 1994) Ilford published a new manual for users of their colour materials, both reversal and negative/positive. The Ilford Colour Print Manual was available through Ilford trade outlets.

The above three types of Ilfocolor paper could be processed in RA-4 chemicals, but Ilford did not specify any particular make or processing kit of chemicals to be used for processing, nor was there any RA-4 chemistry made by Ilford for their paper. As a starting filtration, Ilford recommended 50 Yellow, 50 Magenta, 0 Cyan. This filtration could be dialled into a colour head, or made up from individual filters, such as the Ilfochrome filter set, Kodak CP filters, Agfacolor separate gelatine or glass filter sets, or any other set of subtractive filters. The Ilford Ilfochrome filters were of an equivalent strength to the Kodak range of Colour Printing (CP) filters.

The “Ilford Colour Print Manual” gives a processing sequence (see below) when the user was processing in an Ilford Print Drum, suitable for a “home darkroom”.

Processing Ilfocolor De Luxe and other Ilfocolor papers in an Ilford Print Drum

Step	Solution or Wash	Time (seconds)	Temperature (°F)
1.	Pre-Heat	60	104
2.	Develop	45	95
3.	Bleach-Fix	45	95
4.	Wash	90	95
5.	Dry

Notes.

1. A Stop-Bath could be inserted between steps 2 and 3 if staining of the print whites became a problem. If the chemicals were to be re-used, a quick rinse of 30 seconds was advisable between the Stop-Bath and Bleach-Fix.
2. White light could be turned on after the Bleach-Fix step.
3. It was advised to handle the paper in total darkness, but the paper could be also be handled under a safelight filter manufactured for the use of colour printing papers at a distance of 5 feet and for no longer than 1 minute.

It was also possible to process Ilfocolor materials in the Ilford Colour Processor ICP-42.
Ilford also recommended the use of Kodak RA-4 roller transport chemistry with a process temperature of 105°F, and a time of 55 seconds for each step.