Digital BW, The Print

This is a point I've been reconsidering myself.  By way of background, I started out wi0th 
the Epson 2200 when it came out (4-5 years ago now), then moved to a 4000 and a 9600, 
and recently moved to a 4800 and 9800.  What Mitch describes is probably correct: most 
of us doing "fine art" printing viewed glossy prints from the original Ultrachromes as 
unacceptable and therefore focused on matte papers.  Once you start printing with matte 
papers that have some character and good blacks/color rendition (Hahn./Innova/Velvet 
Fine Art, etc), you fall in love with it.  Especially when held in the hand (or seen unframed), 
they just have a more artistic feel than glossy photo papers which, in terms of tactile feel, 
weight, and character, are kinda boring.  And, at least for me, I think there was a bit of 
snootiness: "Real artists use matte papers; commercial guys use glossy!"

Now that the K3 inks have largely (not completely) minimized the problems with printing 
on glossy paper, I find myself reconsidering whether I'll start printing more glossy/luster.  
I probably still wouldn't have considered this, as "matte" has become synonymous in my 
mind with "fine art" except for two things: (a) the first print I needed to do for a client right 
after I got my 9800 was on glossy paper, so I initialized it that way and got to print some 
of my own images with Photo Black form the get-go and (b) papers like Crane Silver Rag 
and Hahn. Photo Rag Satin (which is actually a matte paper using MK ink, but does have a 
sheen, so I put it in the "non-matte" category).  Even my current favorite matte paper 
(Innova Smooth Cotton) doesn't render blacks and saturated colors as nicely as Epson 
Premium Semi-Matte, nor does it print B&W as well as Hahn. Photo Rag Satin or Crane's 
Silver Rag.  I just printed two 36x36 prints on my 9800 w. Epson Semi-Matte (one color 
and one B&W) and they're amazing.

So, I'm starting to wonder how much of my decision to focus on matte papers until now is 
about the experience I have (I like the tactile qualities and texture of matte papers) versus 
issues of visual image quality and/or the experience the client has (as Mitch noted, once 
the prints are matted and behind glass, you've minimized the "character" of matte papers 
anyway).  And, I realized, I never printed matte papers in the darkroom -- I always printed 
air dried fiber pearl surfaces.

So, with the K3 printers, I'm now leaning toward glossy/luster papers for most purposes, 
and reserving matte papers for where the image particularly calls for it (e.g., I want to 
emphasize the image's texture or abstract feel) or where the image will be presented 
unframed.  There is still the issue of "outgassing" of framed glossy Ultrachrome prints, 
though, and I don't know that there's an acceptable solution to that, other than letting the 
print air out for many many days before framing (reports are that the recommended "put a 
sheet of plain paper on top of th eprint for 48 hours doesn't cut it).

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, mitcha@m... wrote:

> 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.