Digital BW, The Print

I'm sure that there are people who will be pleased to have this paper 
available. I wish them success and happiness. I doubt I'll be one of 
them though. I've had a good long taste of the freedom available outside 
the darkroom box; I'm not willingly going back.

<rant>
Inkjet is a new media, with it's own look and feel. Inkjet is clearly 
*not* wanna-be silver gelatin. The inkjet look and feel is superior to 
anything the darkroom has to offer, including the oft touted "air dried 
F-surface fiber print." Inkjet can print on a range of fabrics from 
canvas to silk. It can print to film that is smooth beyond the dreams of 
any darkroom paper. It can print to a huge range of fine art papers with 
textures unheard of even in the heyday of darkroom printing. It excels 
with matte surfaces. It excels with textured surfaces.

The desire to replicate the best of the darkroom prints is to me 
specious at best. If what one really wants is a darkroom print, the 
darkroom is still the best place to make it.
</rant>
--
Bruce Watson


Eleanor Brown wrote:

> Over this past weekend I have been working with beta samples of Crane's
> new paper Museo Silver Rag. I formerly printed black and white and 
> color in
> my darkroom but five years ago went completely digital. I have been 
> looking
> for a paper to mimic my old silver darkroom papers but no no avail. Now my
> searching is over. I am thrilled at the prints I'm making on this new
> Silver Rag paper, both in black and white and color. The paper could pass
> for a silver gelatin paper, is a nice weight, and a soft white base color
> and lays flat. The surface--smooth-- has a slight subtle elegant texture
> that shows through the coating--this texture looks  like air dried 
> glossy silver gelatin paper
> textures (not like epson luster paper).  When you hold the paper in 
> your hand, it also feels
> like a silver gelatin paper.
>
> I've printed on my 7800 printer using Imageprint in both standard three
> black mode and Phatte black mode. Have also printed on my 2400 using the
> epson driver, advanced black and white mode. All prints are superb 
> with deep deep blacks
> with good separation in dark shadow areas. The
> paper surface is tough--resistant to scratching and highly water resistant
> after the inks have had a chance to completely dry. (I soaked a print in
> water until saturated, with no ink run off, even when rubbed with a paper
> towel). I look forward to using this new paper for most of my printing in
> the future. Eleanor