Digital BW, The Print

Air-dried fiber glossy, such as my old fave raves, Agfa Brovira and
Portriga Rapid, has *almost* no texture on the low gloss surface that
resulted from air drying...perfect gloss ("ferrotype"...NO texture)
was accomplished by drying the same paper on a chrome plate or hot
dryer. The paper side feels soft. 

Many hate/hated the resin coated wet darkroom paper that came along in
the Seventies for the same reason we don't like glossy or semigloss
inkjet paper. Ferrotyped paper was the standard for press releases,
current glossy inkjet paper serves the same purpose and does have a
nearly ferrotype surface, but its not as slick. I think most
art-oriented photogs avoided ferrotype surfaces but used the same
papers air-dried. Weston was excited to be able to use Kodak
Kodabromide when it came out...he air dried it. 

I can't speak about Epson Premium Lustre: I've accepted matte.

Djon


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Peter De Smidt
<pdesmidt@T...> wrote:
> Steve Kale wrote:
> 
> >I am curious.  I do not have a wetroom background.  How would one
describe the difference 
> >in texture between a traditional fibre print and, say, Epson
Premium Luster.  Ignore ink for 
> >the moment - just the comparison of two sheets of blank white
paper.  On a scale of 1 to 10 
> >are we at 2 (nowhere near the goal) or at, say, an 8 (close but no
cigar)?  Of course this is 
> >very subjective and perhaps I should go to a Lab and ask for a
blank fibre print so that I can 
> >form my own opinion but I am wondering whether we
collectively/generally think we are 
> >close or miles away.
> >
> >Steve
> >
> >(as you can tell I am very impressed with the K3 inks and it seems
we are just missing the 
> >texture of the underlying substrate)
> >
> >
> >  
> >
> I'd be happy to send you some samples of Ilford MG FB paper. Contact me 
> off list.
> 
> In my opinion, Epson Premium Semi-Matte and Pictorico Premium Glossy 
> come the closest of the papers that I've tried, but I still prefer the 
> surface of Ilford MG FB Glossy toned first in selenium, second in Kodak 
> Brown toner, and then air-dried.
> 
> Peter De Smidt