Digital BW, The Print

I agree with most of that Bruce, and have for a long time. I'm not 
interested in mimicing anything, but I do think the wet darkroom is 
dead. What this media is going to provide however, is a non-plastic 
glossy surface with a dmax that may possibly even excite you. I 
print on all those surfaces you mentioned every month and that is 
exactly why I am in this business in the first place, because I 
crave diversity and variety in surface and texture. I love the whole 
idea of the merger of photography/printmaking/digital alteration. 
What we have always needed for both color and black and white is a 
non rc glossy media that bypasses the cheap look of a type c print 
and leaves that to the dustbin of history, and apparently now we 
have it.

The next thing I want is a metallic media that has been tested for 
max permanece. 

Does anyone have a good source for mounting large inkjet prints on 
alluminum sheets? This is someting I have't done yet and I am just 
starting to reseach it. 

John



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, hogarth@s... 
wrote:
>
> I'm sure that there are people who will be pleased to have this 
paper 
> available. I wish them success and happiness. I doubt I'll be one 
of 
> them though. I've had a good long taste of the freedom available 
outside 
> the darkroom box; I'm not willingly going back.
> 
> <rant>
> Inkjet is a new media, with it's own look and feel. Inkjet is 
clearly 
> *not* wanna-be silver gelatin. The inkjet look and feel is 
superior to 
> anything the darkroom has to offer, including the oft touted "air 
dried 
> F-surface fiber print." Inkjet can print on a range of fabrics 
from 
> canvas to silk. It can print to film that is smooth beyond the 
dreams of 
> any darkroom paper. It can print to a huge range of fine art 
papers with 
> textures unheard of even in the heyday of darkroom printing. It 
excels 
> with matte surfaces. It excels with textured surfaces.
> 
> The desire to replicate the best of the darkroom prints is to me 
> specious at best. If what one really wants is a darkroom print, 
the 
> darkroom is still the best place to make it.
> </rant>
> --
> Bruce Watson
> 
> 
> Eleanor Brown wrote:
> 
> > Over this past weekend I have been working with beta samples of 
Crane's
> > new paper Museo Silver Rag. I formerly printed black and white 
and 
> > color in
> > my darkroom but five years ago went completely digital. I have 
been 
> > looking
> > for a paper to mimic my old silver darkroom papers but no no 
avail. Now my
> > searching is over. I am thrilled at the prints I'm making on 
this new
> > Silver Rag paper, both in black and white and color. The paper 
could pass
> > for a silver gelatin paper, is a nice weight, and a soft white 
base color
> > and lays flat. The surface--smooth-- has a slight subtle elegant 
texture
> > that shows through the coating--this texture looks  like air 
dried 
> > glossy silver gelatin paper
> > textures (not like epson luster paper).  When you hold the paper 
in 
> > your hand, it also feels
> > like a silver gelatin paper.
> >
> > I've printed on my 7800 printer using Imageprint in both 
standard three
> > black mode and Phatte black mode. Have also printed on my 2400 
using the
> > epson driver, advanced black and white mode. All prints are 
superb 
> > with deep deep blacks
> > with good separation in dark shadow areas. The
> > paper surface is tough--resistant to scratching and highly water 
resistant
> > after the inks have had a chance to completely dry. (I soaked a 
print in
> > water until saturated, with no ink run off, even when rubbed 
with a paper
> > towel). I look forward to using this new paper for most of my 
printing in
> > the future. Eleanor
>