Digital BW, The Print

Clayton Jones wrote:

>Hello Tyler,
>
>  
>
>>I think it's important to remember that none of the darkroom papers
>>    
>>
>we
>  
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>>all used for many years, and considered "archival", were cotton. 
>>    
>>
>
>Yes, it's so easy to slip into a mindset about something.  When I got
>into this cotton was king and I adapted that without question.  My
>first response to hearing about AC papers was suspicion.  Now that
>I've finally accepted and turned to have a look my printing life has
>suddenly been enriched.  Broader horizons, new dimensions, whatever
>you want to call it, it's great.  Kayenta and Fiba are the cream
>rising to the top - really fine papers.
>
>Regards,
>Clayton
>  
>
Thirty years ago I came across some information about papers specially 
made for books that should last long. The Penrose Annual Vol 68 1975 has 
an article on Culter Guard Bridge's Archive Long Life Text paper. The 
Library of Congress approved that paper for books that should last. 
Since then I have used both Alpha Cellulose and Rag paper without 
hesitation as long as the sizing had some buffering against acidic 
contamination as well. So I printed many serigraphs on Hahnemuhle's 
passepartout paper that has much similarity to the German Etching substrate.

In the thirty years passed the myth about superiority of rag papers 
hasn't changed and it will not change in the next thirty years. If a 
customer insists on rag paper use he gets rag paper and I will not 
discuss it.

Coatings is another matter but coatings are an issue in offset printing 
as well. I'm more concerned about the bond between the coating and the 
paper than about the paper quality itself.  Wilhelm should test the bond 
of paper coating like it is done for book papers in offset printing: 
folding tests etc. They do not need the same properties but some degree 
of physical strength is a must. Yellowing occurs in coatings when they 
get contaminated by air or by tape glue, loose the OBA fluorescence etc, 
we have seen the reports, sealing and/or framing of the print is 
probably the only solution. The silkscreen papers had no coating, sizing 
an hot calendering made the difference in print quality that was not at 
inkjet level anyway.

Your Fiba has OBAs though, better test that in the sun to see what it 
looks like in some years. Could still be nice though.

Ernst