Digital BW, The Print

Just got my samples today.  2 sheets!  Hard to do much testing, but 
here are my first impressions:

Dmax with UC3 PK:  2.35  Dried with hair dryer.  It may still come 
down some.  This compares to 2.43 with Innova type F.  

The surface is very smooth.  It stills shows a little texture, 
similair in appearance to the type F but less.  And none of the 
stippling that Silver Rag and Fine Art Pearl have.  It is slightly 
less glossy than an air dried F service silver print.  I actually 
think that the Innova type F is the closest I have seen in terms of 
gloss.
  
It has OBAs and the surface color is similiar to the type F. 

It does seem to exhibit a bit of gloss differential.  I haven't tried 
the highlight point shift yet to see if it will correct it.

I made a quick QTRICC profile using neutral(0/0) / dark.

Using neutral settings, I like the color tone I am getting.  This is 
very much a first impression, but it seems neutral with a slight 
selenium sort of a look to my eye.  The type F looks the same, and I 
think it is the best looking print I have made at the neutral setting 
with my 3800.

Last and best...and very subjective on my part (as all of this is):
I have always thought that matte papers have a depth that is lacking 
on glossy.  Even the newest one.  My first impression of the semi 
matte is that it has some of this depth.  In looking at a receding 
landscape it seems to have some of that sense that you can crawl into 
the picture like the good matte papers do.  That is one of the things 
that has kept me using matte papers most of the time.

My overall impression...and this is based on only 2 small (4x6) 
pictures,is that I like it.  There is still room for improvement...I 
am hoping that Hahnemuhle introduces the PhotoRag Pearl I have read 
about and that it is great, but right now, I will be ordering the 
Innova semi-matte tomorrow!!

Peter