Digital BW, The Print

I understand your augments. I too was trained in the seventies by 
master printers and spent many years perfecting silver printing 
techniques. My question here concerns specifically the HP Z3100 
printer. 

I waited patiently from about 1995 for digital printing technology to 
advance enough to replace the wet darkroom. It has only been since 
ultra chrome K3 and the new PK papers that I have decided to make the 
jump. I am holding a print from my 3800 on Museo Silver rag beside a 
silver gelatine print from exactly the same file (via LVT) .The most 
obvious difference is that light does not enter the paper so the ink 
print seems less "3 dimensional" , this gives the silver print more 
of a creamy brilliance. In all other aspects the two prints are 
indistinguishable to my eye.  I think the Silver Rag black is deeper 
than the silver gelatine black but that the useable shadow 
distinction is higher which produces similar results. Of course we 
all have different levels of scrutiny and critical tolerance. 

I have read a lot of positive commentary concerning the Z3100 and 
after my initial experience I was wondering if its high acclaim was 
exclusively with matte paper. 

Eugene