Digital BW, The Print

> 
> I'm not sure I can get that in the US.  I recall you mentioning that before, and I looked for  the paper.  My recollection is  that I failed to find any.
> 

As a matter of facts, I first got this paper in the US, during one of my frequent visits. The variety of fine art papers available in you Country is just astonishing and I take advantage of that for new experimets.
I have purchased my first sample of Magnani Pescia (bot hot press and cold press) at Jerry's Artarama. Blick also carries it on shelf.
Now I purchase large quantities directly from the manifacturer, near Florence (Italy).

The cold press version is a bit coarse for my taste, but it has the same d-max as Arches watercolor. The hot press surface is the one I really love, but it has a lower d-max: you need to prepare your file properly when printing. They both take a lot of ink. When coated with the Carbon-gelatine method it becomes a different story.
I like the way Arches watercolor responds in term of contrast; the only minor issue I have wit that is that it is a little too smooth for my taste.
Another paper that has the same d-max as Arches is Magnani Velata, but with a totally different tooth compared to the other papers mentioned above. Unfortunately, it is not 100% cotton. 

Ciao,

  Mantinieri

http://www.mantinieri.com