Digital BW, The Print

Hi Clayton,

>Recently I tested some PremierArt Matte BW with K3 ink to 
>compare with other papers and was quite surprised by the result. ...

>It's dmax is remarkable, close to VFA, the highest I've 
>tested so far.  VFA is first (the clear winner), followed 
>by PR, MBW ...

It depends on printer, black ink, and driver, among other things.  Oddly, my
220 recently started giving me a low dmax with the Epson driver, but with
QTR I'm hitting 1.7 again with MatteBW. 

See http://www.premierimagingproducts.com/pm_mattebw.php for information.

For the best sheet prices see,
http://www.itsupplies.com/cgi-bin/itsupplies.storefront/462cd1d80b9b1f22273f
4200c14c0646/Catalog/1623
They call is 210 Dual Sided Matte.  It has also been known as "Premium" or
"Premier" matte.

Try to fine another smooth, high dmax, acid-free, non-flaking paper for
$0.30 per square foot.

(With Eboni BO it produces an almost perfect neutral midtone.  However, I'm
not a fan of the roughness BO often results in.  I have my first 260 empty
carts and hope that the 1.5 pl dot will allow me to make a true pure carbon
printing system that is neutral and smooth -- but that's not here yet.)

The main things I don't like about Matte BW ("MBW") are that it's very
bright, and the sheets have a curl.

For the brightness, I either print down the borders to match the matte board
(2% yellow or carbon) and/or I use a split tone approach.  (See
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/PM_Split_Tone.pdf  QTR will be able to do
split toning easily with it's sliders and the profiles I'm now making for
MBW.)

For the curl, I print on the convex side (to avoid edge strikes) and often
use a ruler to put a slight reverse curl on the top 1/8 inch of the paper.
Just hold the top 1/8" of the sheet down with a ruler and pull the paper up
at a 45 degree angle.  That allows the paper to feed easily.  I do hand fee
each sheet.  (It's not EEM with respect to ease of feeding.)

By the way, I've found what may be EEM's highest and best use.  To keep the
printer rollers clean, I spray a bit of Ace Hardware Janitor Strength
Ammonia on the right edge, middle of an EEM sheet (keep the lead edge dry)
and feed it through the printer several times -- both sides, etc.  It cleans
those rollers very well and helps feed issues tremendously.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com