Digital BW, The Print

I'm surprised to encounter so much inconsistency in the Innova F-Type surface.  

A couple of weeks ago I borrowed some sample sheets from a lab/printer in my building.  
We thought the surface was unattractive - not like an air-dried gelatin silver paper, but 
stippled or indented.

But I tried again:  After reading Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape review that 
praised the paper, I wondered if I'd seen a bad lot.  I tried a new package of letter-sized 
paper.  Out-of-the-box, the surface looked a little different, and prints on it looked 
noticeably better - smoother surface, higher reflectance, & less (though still slightly) 
stippled.  I was won over by it & sent some targets off for color profiling.  The blacks on 
the target prints looked very deep & I could see why Michael was impressed.  

Planning to print a portfolio on it, I bought two packages of 17x22" paper - only to find 
that they matched not the letter-sized paper, but the 'cardboard'-surfaced  version I'd 
seen at first.  

I subsequently got a private e-mail from a member of this forum, saying that the first 
batches or runs of F-Type did look somewhat different.  

I've sent an request to Innova for a return or replacement authorization of what I suppose 
was a bad batch or early version.  I understood that the 17x22" packages had been sent to 
my dealer quite recently, so apparently it's still being sent out  in some sizes or to some 
dealers.  

I'd urge anyone interested in trying the paper to be sure they can return it if it looks 
deeply stippled, or simply inconsistent.