Staples "Acid Free" (not) Glossy paper
2004-03-03 by Paul Roark
Staples claims on its "Professional High Gloss Photo Paper" that it is "acid free." I couldn't resist buying some to see if it was true. The good news is that with the UT2/7 system I get a dmax of 2.3+ (even the second day) with the "gloss-Eboni" printing method. The paper has a low degree of reflective artifacts and prints well with the Ilford curves. Visually it is a very good performer. But, "acid free" . I'm afraid not. When it is ripped open and the interior fibers are tested with the acid test pen, they appear to be no more acid free than Ilford paper, which is rated at 30 years and is significantly cheaper at B&H. (Staples is $18 for 25, Ilford $13 for 25.) This is not a bad performance at all, but it does not appear to live up to its claims. Paul www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]