Digital BW, The Print

I tried Somerset Velvet Enhanced in the past and also found it to be flat -
principally as a result of not being able to achieve decent dMax.  Somerset
has never had a good rap on this forum and no we are not paper chemists but
a wide body of users.

Papers with OBAs are generally avoided.  It is, I would say, the general
opinion of this forum that papers with OBAs should be avoided because of the
fear that the brighteners will fade over time and yellow paper (someone will
correct me if I am wrong).  The concern, I believe, is over the impact to
paper white rather than the fading of the inked paper.  Is this covered in
the Blue Wool tests?

Given Mr Edmunds is involved in the design of the infusion process used by
St Cuthberts to make the paper I will pull some out of the cupboard again
and take another look at it.

Steve

Please trim posts.


> From: John Edmunds <charleysfabrics@...>

> 
> Please Read Answers Below,
> St Cuthberts is one of our formulation licencees.
>  
> Forest John
> 
> 
> john dean <deanwork2003@...> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> I sense that you are totally wrong about that.
> 
> I did not say they were the same coating only that they use the same technique
> for surface coating. I am much more aware than you of the actual coating
> diferences between the two companies than you might realise. The Somerset
> coating has been independently tested and reached "Better than 7 on the Blue
> Wool Scale" without Yellowing which in the same side by side test, the
> Hahnemuhle did not.
> 
> Both Somerset and Concorde Rag have a MUCH more durable surface than any of
> the Hahnemuhle papers and the presence of optical brightners reduce the
> Somerset longevity according to the Wilhelm tests.
> 
> The "Blue Wool Tests" have been used to mesure fade in Cotton products for
> almost as long as The USA has been a unifide country and the actual tests are
> much mor stringent than the "Wilhelm" tests
> 
>  However, when this paper is sprayed or placed behind uv glass this permanece
> is greately improved to quite impressive levels.
> 
> I have used both Somerset V Enhanced as well as all the Hahnemule coated
> papers for over 
> 6 years on a weekly basis. I know for a fact that the Somerset is more scuff
> and scratch resistant
> 
> Agreed
> 
> and it has to have a different coating. It not only looks different and feels
> different than most other media, it also absorbs ink differently. Those rag
> papers distributed by Legion in the US are completely different from the
> German papers I've used.
> But Somerset is so flat looking for anything with significat blacks,
> 
> Two of the best Black and white Photographers in Europe use itand achive
> superb dense blacks and very subtle greys on this paper
> 
>  it doesn't really matter for me. For most of my work I won't be using it
> anyway. There are far better papers on the
> market these days. ?? I didn't realise you were a Paper Chemist sorry.
> 
> John
>