Digital BW, The Print

Hi Paul,
Sometime back I had also come across Breathing Color who claimed to have paper with supports both Matt and Photo Black.
See last paragraph here: http://www.breathingcolor.com/action/bc_faq/134/
http://www.breathingcolor.com/action/bc_shop/123/
I have tried their test pack with Vibrance Lustre using 3MK technique and had the same experience as you as far as the ink adhesion is concerned. Prints looked good (fairly neutral) with hard to see gloss differential but the ink did come off on the finger in the very dark areas. At the time I was not sure if this was normal and abandoned the idea of using the paper. But perhaps this paper could be used with MK ink. Eb6 though would be warmer. Would like to try that out sometime.
Prices of these papers are reasonable and perhaps others might want to try them out. Their Optica is 310gm Matt Cotton Rag paper worth trying out too. They also give Archival Quality Certificates for free!
RegardsBharat
 




       From: "roark.paul@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint]" <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@...m>
 To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2015 4:39 PM
 Subject: [Digital BW] Glossy printing with Eboni -- Premier Imaging "Platinum Rag"
   
    Eboni, including Eboni-6 and it's variable-tone derivatives that I've been using lately, are for matte paper only.  However, there are times when a glossy print would be nice to have.  It turns out there is a way to do that.
Premier Imaging makes a paper called "Platinum Rag" that, on its web page, is claimed to be compatible with both PK and MK ink.  See http://www.premierimagingproducts.com/pm_platinumrag.php 
It turns out that Photo Warehouse (http://www.ultrafineonline.com/), an affiliated company, has backed off from this claim, but there is some truth to it.
Platinum Rag is, in effect, a glossy luster coating over a cotton rag base.  It is not a barrier paper, where polyethylene separates the coating from the base, which is typical of glossy and luster papers.  It is a hybrid.  (This lack of barrier is interesting in several other respects not discussed here.)
When Eboni-based inks are printed on Platinum Rag, the result is a matte print with just a bit of sheen to it and an enormous matte dmax of up to 1.9.  In the deep black areas, you can rub off some of the pigment -- thus  the current disclaimer that the paper is *not* truly MK compatible.  On the other hand, you'd do just as much damage to a Hahnemuhle  Photo Rag print if you rubbed your thumb across a 100% black area.  When one of these Platinum Rag prints is mounted under glazing, it can make a beautiful matte print display.  
For a glossy print, spraying with Premier Art Print Shield (http://www.premierimagingproducts.com/pc_printshield.php)  is needed for protection and that glossy finish.  I use 4 light coats -- horizontal, vertical, and both diagonals, separated by just a few minutes of drying.  The result is a luster print that is sufficiently protected that water will bead up and run off the face of the print.  The image is very well protected.  For snapshots or un-glazed display, this is a fairly rugged output.  (This is not an RC print, so water can get into the print via the back side.)
Frankly, I'm not a fan of glossy or luster papers under glass or even for wall display at all -- too much distracting "sheen" to them.  Also, as usual, while the spectro says the coated glossy dmax is higher, in my real world office display (under spots, but with lots of ambient light bouncing around) the pre-sprayed matte dmax is visually much better than the coated glossy dmax.  
My bottom line perspective is that this paper, while technically not totally compatible Eboni, can make a very good display under glass/acrylic when it is not coated with a protective spray.  When coated with Print Shield (not Lascaux -- too weak) Platinum Rag makes a very good snapshot medium for Eboni and possibly a candidate for un-glazed wall display.  
I have put profiles -- QTR and Epson driver -- for the 3880 Eboni variable tone inkset (http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/3880-Eboni-Variable-Tone.pdf)  in the Profiles Zip file for that inkset (http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/3880-EbVT-Profiles.zip) .  You can see from the Photoshop curves that it prints well with that approach and minimal modifications.  So any Eboni-6 arrangement can probably print on this paper without a complex profile needed.  Oddly, the 3880 Epson driver resulted in a higher dmax than QTR -- a rare event.  
With no toner, this paper results in a very warm print.
Sample packs are available for this paper at  http://www.ultrafineonline.com/prplragpa282.html .
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