Digital BW, The Print

Bruce,
>
> I'm sure that there are people who will be pleased to have this 
paper 
> available. I wish them success and happiness. 

Thanks, I am looking forward to it.

> 
> <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." 
...
> 
> 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.

This oft touted remark is IMHO the specious one.

Prior to using the K3 inks on glossy/luster surfaces I would have 
agreed with you. I have been impressed with the "punch" that the K3 
inks provide (I assume this is the terrific dMax).

My impression is that if the PhotoRag is as good as is said, that it 
will indeed allow a *better* inkjet print of the same style as a 
silver gelatin print ... that is the inkjet print will best the 
traditional darkroom print ***at it's own game***.

Granted not every photograph is best printed with the F-surface ... 
witness the beauty of platinum/paladium prints. And indeed the 
carbon inkjet prints do a great job in this style (e.g. MIS/Eboni BO 
and UT/EZ or Jon Cone's)

That said, for certain prints DMax is very important, and 
traditional darkroom workers such as Adams had developed technical 
expertise in maximizing black. Workers such as Michael Smith working 
with Azo/Amidol have continued the technical standards achievable by 
silver-gelatin. One cannot summarize the tonality of such prints 
with the term "dMax" but high dMax is present in the darkest of 
areas in all such prints.

Let's not kid ourselves ... an inkjet print with a DMax in the 2.5-
2.6 range is a great technical achievement in digital photography 
(assuming the lifespan of the print is reasonable). In my mind, this 
is the straw that breaks the darkroom's back.

Jonathan