Digital BW, The Print

In view of Paul Roark's renewed interest in B&W dye inks for 
publications and all the desktop color dye ink printers that have the 
better dye inks of today including the Canon A3+ models it may be 
interesting to categorise what is available in dye ink compatible 
papers. Most pigment ink compatible papers will be suitable for dye ink 
too but there are some papers that are more compatible for dye inks. 
With Ilford abandoning its range of swellable papers the choices seemed 
gone but there are still sources for dye ink papers.

Whether easily available is something I can not foresee but there are 
still swellable papers produced, I have added two Felix Schoeller 
Swellable RC papers to SpectrumViz.

Next to that category there are papers made for the Canon, Noritsu, 
Epson, Fuji dry minilabs that use dye inks, so far I could only add two 
qualities, the Canon Dream Labo Glossy Dual Sided RC 250gsm and the 
Canon Dream Labo Metallic Silky RC 198gsm. There are more qualities to 
add if I can get them. Rolls mainly in sizes up to 10" and some sheet 
formats. Larger quantities.

Then there are Non-RC papers for High Speed Inkjet (web) systems that so 
far use dye inks only, three Felix Schoeller samples that show a very 
high white reflectance and excellent image definition, I guess the 
samples are printed on a normal (slow) dye inkjet printer. I would not 
expect much longevity, high OBA content and at best an ECF paper base 
but there is nothing wrong with the image quality. Felix Schoeller 
Jet-Speed Gloss Dual Sided 200gsm, Jet-Speed Chromegloss Dual Sided 
250gsm, Jet-Speed Silk Dual Sided 130gsm. All three are available in 
130, 200 and 250 gsm. I have added them to the plain Inkjet Coated 
category. Big rolls so a distributor that can convert them is needed. 
Also in that map the Red River Zeppelin Semigloss Dual Sided 160gsm and 
its clone the Tecco EFI Proof 9155 Duo-Semimatt Dual Sided 170 gsm. They 
are in my opinion more dye than pigment compatible. Their descriptions 
vary, the actual properties not.

A side note:
Felix Schoeller probably produces some of the basic barite coated papers 
that we see in more inkjet paper catalogs. They used to make the paper 
base for Agfa's Brovira, Portriga and the analogue RC qualities later 
on. There are some patents on their name for inkjet barite papers too. 
On the FS Photokina booth prints on barite papers were shown but they 
are not in their catalog for consumers etc and they refused to give me 
samples of them. This company is huge with several large paper 
factories. More in the ranks of Mitsubishi, Oji etc.


-- 
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
450+ inkjet paper white spectral plots, November 2012:
rearranged categories, still adding Photokina paper samples.