Digital BW, The Print

Derrick:

> Seems like a lot of people prefer the fine art matt papers, is  
> there a reasoning behind this?

It seems to me that a few years ago printing on glossy-type papers  
was problematic -- bronzing and gloss differential -- and therefore  
people started using matte papers with they eventually fell in love  
because these papers have a very good feel to them. Now, however,  
with K3 inks the problems with glossy papers have been largely  
eliminated.

If your photographs depend mainly on the quality of mid-gray tones,  
then matte papers are fine; but if your photographs need rich, deep  
blacks then glossy-type papers will be better.  Anselm Adams in  
_The_Print_ (p. 45) states:

> Maximum image brilliance is obtained on a smooth, glossy-surfaced  
> paper, which can have a reflectance range of up to 1: 100 and  
> higher...The matte papers have much lower brilliance, with a  
> reflection-density range of about 1:25...I use glossy papers  
> comparable to Kodak's "F"- surface. Unferrotyped, these papers give  
> a smooth semi-gloss finish with long tonal range.

What I have been doing is printing with my 7600 on Epson Semi-Matte  
and then have the prints laminated with a glossy laminate. This gives  
very rich blacks and also means that the prints can be framed with  
glass, which I like. Now that I'm getting a 9800, I'll see whether I  
can get away without lamination, and still have rich blacks. Bill  
Atkinson states:

> I use Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper (250), mostly in 36 inch  
> rolls. I used to use Epson Premium Semimatte Photo Paper (250)  
> because I prefer its smoother surface. I switched to Premium Luster  
> because with the 9800 the luster gives deeper blacks and richer  
> colors. On premium luster, the best black I could get with the 9600  
> was L=10.2, but with the 9800 I now get L=3.4 This makes a  
> significant difference in the overall clarity and tonal range of  
> the print. When I place a 9800 print next to a 9600 print, the 9600  
> print looks "smoked" in the shadows by comparison. When Epson  
> Premium Luster is used with the 9800's advanced black and white  
> mode the results are gorgeous. I am always experimenting with  
> different papers, but the Epson Premium Luster still gives me the  
> best results.

--Mitch/Bangkok