Digital BW, The Print

Hi James;

There are several people on this list using the R1800, myself 
included. It is capable of extremely fine results, especially if 
you're lucky enough to get one that doesn't microband in one or more 
channels. 
The up-side to this printer is of course the simultaneous matte & 
gloss capabilty. When you get around to trying QTR, I suggest you 
exchange the gloss cart for a  light black, and work out some 2k 
curves. You can get some  fine,smooth prints that way, and not 
having to swap carts is great.
> My printer is an Epson R1800 - not the choice of the serious BW 
> printers here, I know - but that's what I have to work with. 
Monitor 
> calibrated. Custom printer profiles.

So going this route you can get fairly good results on any paper 
you're willing to get/do a profile for.

> I've followed the threads about various papers. So far, I've only 
tried 
> digital BW prints on Epson Enhanced Matte (EEM) and Epson Premium 
Glossy 
> Photo Paper (PGPP). 

Many folks who are using high-gloss papers use the Kirkland (Costco) 
or Pictorico, at the other end of the price scale. Many printers 
have decided they simply don't like the plasticiness of the RC 
papers, don't like the reflections, the flimsiness of some, and 
simply like the look and panache of the cotton papers better and are 
willing to settle for the lower dmax. Some of us (myself included) 
are still searching for the 'holy grail' the paper that looks and 
feels like our favorite FB halide paper, and has as good a dmax or 
better.

> can someone give me an idea of their 
> relative Dmax? 
EEM with matte inks gets about 1.67-1.69 at best. PGPP needs photo- 
black ink ofcourse, but will probably hit 2.3-2.4
> 
> I also have a small supply of Epson Premium Luster. Would that be 
an 
> appropriate paper to use for BW prints? What are its strengths and 
weaknesses?

Premium luster is used quite a bit-it gets a good dmax but the down 
side is that pearly texture and the blinding whiteness that most of 
the RC luster/semi-gloss papers have. The smoothest readily 
available is Epson Premium semi-matte, which has no noticeable 
texture and a soft gloss. Up until recentlu it was available in 24"-
plus rolls, but the Exim-Vaios site now offers it in a variety of 
sheet sizes. Here's the URL:
http://www.eximvaios.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=2_252_382

 
> I'd love to find something smoother than matte but less glaring 
than PGPP.
> 
Recently I posted some early impressions about a new satin paper by 
Sihl called Iridium. It looks very promising, and is to-date the 
closest I've seen to matching a FB halide print. Dmax is around 2.3, 
the surface texture is almost smooth but not too machine-looking, 
its a bit warmer and less white than most RC papers, and has been 
confirmed to be acid-free for both paper and backing. The down side? 

It is available in rolls only, and comes of the roll with a 
persistent curl that takes some work to smooth out enough to feed 
through a desktop printer. I'm hoping that if there is enough 
interest one of the distributors like EXim-Vaios will pick it up and 
offer it in sheets. In the meantime I guess I'll get to perfect my 
reverse rolling technique...

Steve Karafyllakis