Digital BW, The Print

> Paul, which Innova were you refering to with Eboni? Photo Smooth Rag?

That is probably the best, in my view.  One of my favorite papers is
PermaJet Alpha.  This uses an Innova coating with no OBAs on a smooth cotton
substrate.  I'd originally thought the Innova Soft Texture was essentially
the same, but in recent tests the alpha cellulose Innova papers (Soft
Texture and Fiba Print) have been less smooth than the cotton ones.

> Would you
> personally rate this paper high in terms of fade
> resistance/discoloration/stability et. al?

Assuming it's similar to Alpha (and that is probably a valid assumption), it
would probably be just behind Premier Art in stability.  That's rather good.
Since it does have some OBAs in it (unlike Premier Art) there will be some
yellowing of the paper, but it'd be rather minor.  Innova papers are not
overdone in this respect.  They tend to be quite neutral when brightened.

> I need to start testing some new papers but want to narrow the field
> considerably due to budget constraints.

Premier Art had some bad press here a few weeks ago regarding quality
control.  I have not had that problem, but don't doubt it.  Nonetheless, I'd
recommend you test some of the PremierArt Fine Art Hot Press.  I like the
205, in part because it is cheap, has no OBAs, and is very stable.

To limit the papers I test, I draw the line at a matte dmax of 1.60.  So, as
soon as I find that the paper doesn't hit that, the paper is no longer in
the game.  That eliminates a very large number of matte papers.  On a 2200
with the Epson driver, even Moab and Premier Art might not make the cut.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com