Digital BW, The Print

Martin,

I got the SFA from Atlantic Exchange in 24 x 30 inch sheets and then 
cut it as needed.

I didn't mention in my original post that I've ordered some Photo Rag 
and it should arrive today. I've been paying close attention to all 
the comments on the various papers on this list and on others. The 
positive comments on this paper prompted me to order the 17x22 sheets 
(I also have a 3000 printer) to try.

By the way, I am having a little trouble getting the thicker papers 
to feed into the 1280. But all I need to do is give the sheet a 
little assist as the printer begins the paper feed process. Once the 
printer has grabbed the paper, there's no problem, even with the SFA 
425gsm.

Also, I should have mentioned that I aligned the print heads for the 
SFA before making my prints and didn't readjust for the Eclipse or 
Museo papers. Based on this experience, I doubt that readjustment for 
the lighter-weight papers would have made any noticable difference. I 
had been concerned earlier that I'd have to realign the printer prior 
to each and every paper change. Apparently, my concern was unfounded.

Tom

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Martin Wesley" 
<mwesley250@e...> wrote:

> You might like the Hahnemule Photo Rag, which is in between 
> Museo and Eclipse Satine in brightness and warmth and is smoother 
> than either.
> 
> Where did you get the SFA? Was it already cut down or are you 
cutting 
> it from sheets or rolls yourself?
> 
> Martin Wesley
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Tom Keesling" 
> <tom.keesling@a...> wrote:
> > I'm still very new to both BW printing and the MIS VM inks, but I 
> > thought I'd share what I found this morning when printing a photo 
> > restoration image on various papers in WIN98SE on a 1280 printer.
> > 
> > I've never used EAM, so I probably steepened my learning curve 
> > somewhat, but I'm making some progress. I don't know enough to 
give 
> > much more than a general observation, but maybe that'll be 
helpful.
> > 
> > I'm printing a 1904 8x10 image that I scanned from a very good 
> grade 
> > of newsprint (vintage 1976), so print quality expectations were 
> never 
> > very high. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of 
> the 
> > prints. 
> > 
> > I printed the image on Museo (250gsm), Epson SFA (425gsm), and 
> > Brightcube Eclipse Satine 190 papers. I used the VMP8-MW8.acv 
curve 
> > for all three prints and viewed them under an Ott-lite.
> > 
> > My least favorite of the three was the Eclipse Satine. Although I 
> > like the paper (in part because it's quite a bit whiter than the 
> > others), the blacks didn't look as deep as on the other two. 
Could 
> > this be because of the combination of this warm curve and this 
> bright 
> > white paper? This paper did seem to show just a little more 
detail, 
> > however. 
> > 
> > The Museo paper I think is just a little whiter than the Epson 
SFA, 
> > but they're very close. The Museo image is a little sharper than 
> the 
> > SFA image, but not by much at all and the sky is less mottled 
> (better 
> > looking) in the Museo print.
> > 
> > Overall, the Museo print is the best of the three in this 
instance.
> > I like all three papers and will continue to experiment with all 
> > three. I've got plenty of Museo and Epson SFA to experiment with 
> and 
> > will order the Eclipse Satine when they get it stocked again. 
> > 
> > I hope this is helpful...
> > 
> > Tom Keesling
> > Intelligent Design, Inc.