Digital BW, The Print

Bruce--

My interest is not in mimicing anything, but in an excellent tonal 
scale (including unimpeachable dmax) on a paper that does feel like 
plastic wrap or a dental dam in the hand. Period.  

All the discussion of paper on this forum (including the perpetual 
dmax 1.65 vs. 1.74, the spray coatings, the finger nail test. etc. 
etc.) suggests that many of us have "paper troubles."  Personally, I 
find all of the current papers a compromise, and a significant one, 
in one way or another.  Many of us have trouble acknowledging that.  
Improvements in these papers is clearly the next step.

I would add that I come from a photojournalistic/documentary 
background where the "art print" look is less appropriate. I have 
seen some beautiful landscapes on matte papers, but a lot of this is 
about the print per se.  I am less interested in the print than in 
the image. 

Walt


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, hogarth@s... 
wrote:
>
> 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
>




--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, hogarth@s... 
wrote:
>
> 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
>