Digital BW, The Print

HP makes a point about marketing hype that neglects lignin factor, and
here's Breathingcolor.com on hype that pushes cotton Vs
alpha-cellulose. Should especially concern people who use Wilhelm lore
to market their prints: 

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A recent debate among the digital printmaking community is whether the
prevailing use of expensive, 100% cotton-rag base-material
(hereinafter referred to as "R" for "Rag") is good strategy now that
far less-expensive, "quality-equivalent" alternatives exist. The
debatable question is this: If quality-equivalent alternatives to R
exist and are implemented, will they or will they not retain the same
sales numbers? The only way to answer this question objectively is to
find a quality-equivalent alternative to R, and then compare the
measurable product-attributes that contribute to each particular
product's sale-ability. A good example of a "quality-equivalent
alternative" is an archival alpha cellulose paper. Alpha cellulose is
a high grade wood pulp that is acid and lignin free (hereinafter
referred to as "AC"). It can typically be purchased at half the cost
of R and in some cases even less than that. Because digital
printmakers are recognizing the opportunity to cut their costs in half
by using a quality-equivalent alternative to R, AC is rapidly gaining
popularity. A specific AC paper may be considered a quality-equivalent
to R, when its inkjet receptive coating can reproduce equal or better
color-gamut, detail (dot precision/gain), and longevity by comparison.
It is a measurable fact that industry-leading AC papers can reproduce
color and detail as well as industry-leading R papers. The explanation
for this is simple; color gamut and detail are not determined by the
base material, R or AC. Rather, these properties are solely determined
by the inkjet receptive coating which can be applied to any base
material/substrate. In fact, a number AC papers with equal or superior
color-gamut and detail to R are already widely available.
The issue of longevity is also measurable and has been documented by
well-known testing facilities namely the Wilhelm Research Institute.
(http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/WIR_Ep9600_2003_07_26.pdf) This
page on Wilhelm's website suggests that base paper materials alone,
are not a clear indicator of a paper's potential lifespan. For
example, Epson's alpha cellulose, which is acid free, lignin free,
buffered wood-pulp fine art paper called "Epson Watercolor Paper -
Radiant White (Non-R)" has permanence results of greater than 98 years
under glass, where as "Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper (R)" has permanence
results of only 61 years under glass, and "Epson Somerset Velvet Fine
Art Paper (R)" has permanence results of 62 years under glass.