Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "pr_roark" <paul.roark@...> wrote:
> 
> I have not seen the same dmax with Eboni.  Looking at 2200 test strips, Arches can hit 1.62 (thoroughly cured) whereas the Somerset Velvet test strip I just printed and dried with a hair drier hit only 1.46.
> 
I don't have a 2200 so I can't replicate that. On my machines, the best I've done with Arches and Eboni is about 1.56. I haven't made exhaustive tests of it with overlaid curves and multiple low limited inks so will have to try it at some point. I did do so with the Somerset a while back but the results weren't spectacular. You can pour 100% Eboni on it and it won't reduce the d'max or flood the paper but it doesn't do much for increasing it either.The 1.46 you got for the Somerset matches my average results for it though.
> 
> Somerset Velvet has brighteners in it according to my UV light.
> 
That surprises me a bit. I don't have a UV light handy here other than a small quartz mercury lamp I use to calibrate a transmission spectro via it's spectral lines, but I don't see anything like would be expected in terms of a blue response to it, if OBAs were present in any quantity, from the Somerset. The lamp does have a strong spectral line at 436nm so some deep blue reflection wouldn't be out of character for even a non OBA paper that isn't too yellow. It makes several EPSON papers, as well as the old Premier Premium Matt and a couple of Red River papers I have here, light up like neon signs in brilliant blue. Somerset's spectral curve as read by a DTP20 looks very similar to other papers I have,including Arches, that are termed as non OBA.
Oh well--Live and learn.

Here are some comparisons:

Paper Spectrum--DTP20 400-700nm
===============================

Somerset Velvet uncoated paper

 78.95  85.87  90.89  93.39  94.53  95.46  

95.72  95.00  94.29  94.76  95.64  96.63  97.28 

 96.71  95.83  95.24  95.22  96.80  98.23  

97.22  95.85  95.49  95.89  97.59  98.99  98.32 

 97.12  96.11  95.77  96.88  99.14 

Lab--      98.47   0.07   1.12
---------------------------------------------
ARCHES HOT PRESS uncoated paper

 75.00  77.67  80.05  82.01  83.83  85.99  

87.55  87.55  87.32  88.08  89.26  90.92  92.31 

 92.39  92.00  91.44  91.43  93.42  95.41  

94.99  93.97  93.34  93.42  95.23  96.93  96.73 

 95.95  95.00  94.59  95.65  97.83 

Lab--       97.08   0.33   4.88
----------------------------------------------
 Name? Cotton Rag uncoated Hawk Mountain

 81.63  84.78  87.14  88.42  89.26  90.42  

91.27  91.31  91.19  91.51  92.10  93.27  94.25 

 94.07  93.55  93.08  93.12  94.86  96.43  

95.42  93.98  93.50  93.89  96.00  97.69  96.68 

 95.11  94.33  94.36  95.73  98.21 

Lab--       97.61   0.04   2.52
----------------------------------------------
Concord Rag coated

 76.83  77.96  78.95  79.63  80.53  82.26  

84.27  86.24  88.06  89.55  90.75  91.63  92.25 

 92.71  92.96  92.76  92.69  93.58  94.58  

94.86  94.82  94.57  94.53  95.31  96.17  96.63 

 96.74  96.10  95.62  96.18  97.46 

Lab--        97.18  -0.58   6.72
----------------------------------------------
Premier Premium Matt coated

 36.16  61.94  80.37  89.40  92.54  92.48  

90.96  90.23  89.80  90.22  90.51  89.51  88.28 

 87.68  87.30  86.92  86.72  86.91  87.24  

87.39  87.70  88.45  89.47  90.77  92.02  92.88 

 93.56  94.16  94.71  95.27  95.83 

Lab--        95.23   1.20  -1.10
----------------------------------------------
EPDSM/Presentation coated

 38.75  65.83  84.32  91.46  92.59  92.38  

91.48  91.65  92.17  93.10  93.81  93.31  92.69 

 93.05  93.51  93.41  92.98  92.17  91.45  

91.44  91.84  92.61  93.36  93.60  93.76  94.13 

 94.52  94.91  95.25  95.46  95.58 

Lab--        97.25  -0.59   1.07
---------------------------------------------
EP ARCH WTRCOLOR coated

 48.74  67.10  79.90  85.30  86.85  87.81  

88.13  88.57  89.02  89.82  90.48  90.37  90.19 

 90.66  91.23  91.37  91.48  91.92  92.53  

93.24  93.88  94.18  94.45  94.92  95.45  96.09 

 96.57  96.44  96.31  96.67  97.35 

Lab--        96.57   1.05   3.24
-----------------------------------------------
RR Polar Matt coated

 29.96  57.87  78.82  91.33  97.18  96.89  

94.37  93.48  93.04  93.38  93.50  91.97  90.23 

 89.57  89.24  88.82  88.43  88.00  87.73  

87.76  88.23  89.37  90.71  91.89  92.90  93.52 

 94.05  94.80  95.50  95.96  96.24 

Lab--        95.68   0.84  -2.66
----------------------------------------------
RR Ultra Pro Satin coated

 33.10  66.77  89.62  98.18  99.10  98.18  

96.18  95.17  94.58  94.76  94.93  94.13  93.14 

 92.56  92.05  91.32  90.72  90.72  90.88  

90.75  90.73  91.08  91.64  92.41  93.19  93.75 

 94.30  94.90  95.65  96.67  97.91 

Lab--        96.60   0.41  -2.76
-----------------------------------------------
Kirkland Glossy coated

 38.01  63.88  82.23  90.87  93.73  94.03  

93.10  92.98  93.21  94.36  95.22  94.22  92.74 

 91.80  91.05  90.42  89.88  89.35  88.84  

88.19  87.96  88.77  89.86  90.70  91.39  91.73 

 92.24  93.62  95.15  96.32  97.30 

Lab--        96.16  -1.11  -1.81
---------------------------------------------


Regards
Duane