Digital BW, The Print

Mitch,

>>  Easy-to-make prints with a higher dynamic range than the silver print 
>> are hard to resist.

>Which method are you referring to? Can Ultrachrome inks (Photo Black 
>with, say, Semi-Matte) give a longer tonal range than a silver print -- 
>and equal the Dmax?

I think that with the right barrier-type paper, perhaps Epson Premium
Semi-matte (or other paper that Wilhelm has "blessed"), the dynamic range
can exceed the silver prints I was doing.

I just printed my first Semi-matte (UT-2 with MIS Photo K in a 1280) and
sprayed it with PremierArt Print Shield.  The dmax is 2.12.  Not as good as
the Premium Luster (2.23) but, due to a better surface, the semi-matte looks
better.  (My silver prints usually, in actual printing with images, hit
1.9.)

UltraChrome Photo K is about like MIS Photo K.  

Semi-matte has some bronzing with the Ultra Tone inks and Photo K when
un-sprayed.  However, the spray takes care of 95% of it.  Both the bronze
color and the differential gloss are virtually gone.

I did one pass of spray first and noticed what looked like beading on the
100% black patch.  After 3 passes, at normal viewing distance the "beading"
or un-even coating was virtually gone, but very close to the print I still
saw some surface texture beading that I thought detracted from the otherwise
smooth black tone.  At 5 passes it's very smooth and nice.

While the sprayed semi-matte dmax is slightly better than my silver-prints,
the paper white of the semi-matte looks much white than the un-bleached
silver-print highlights.  So, the dynamic range of the semi-matte is better.

The air-dried, glossy silver-print "look" is slightly less smooth.  There
seems to be some, perhaps, fiber paper texture that shows on the fiber
print, whereas the semi-matte is almost too perfect in its smoothness.
Other than that the surfaces and reflections look very similar.  The
semi-matte reflection of a light is just slightly less diffuse than the
air-dried silver print.  

I might add that the Premium Luster reflection has more bronzing and a
reflection/surface texture that reminds me as related to the beads on a
glass-bead projection screen.  The Premium Luster reflections are more
diffuse -- too much so, in my view.  I think the semi-matte is better.

Epson Premium Semi-matte is clearly a contender warranting more experiments.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com