Digital BW, The Print

Clayton...some time ago you commented favorably on your experience
with alpha cellulose-type paper (source? name?). 

I've recently used a lot of Illuminata Alpha (www.inkjetart.com), a
very cheap alpha cellulose paper...closely matches Illuminata
Ultrasmooth (100% cotton, no whiteners, slightly-cream) at half the
price (and it's two sided). 

Anyhow, this stuff is beautiful with portraits, would be deliverable
except that solid black areas have an odd glistening/textured effect
when views from an angle...unlike Ultrasmooth (or EEM) the surface
texture evidently isn't 100% matte.  

Clayton, have you continued to use alpha-cellulose? With your brand,
have you observed the black phenom I mentioned above? What's your
thinking about its longevity?

> Clayton...some time ago you commented favourably on your experience
> with alpha cellulose-type paper (source? name?).

There are several of the more "art" type papers some of the Innova papers,
Red River, Moab

check Claytons list:

http://www.cjcom.net/articles/digiprn5.htm

There's Alpha Cellulose papers and there's alpha cellulose papers... Bear in
mind among other things that most of you silver/gelatin fibre based B&W
prints are on alpha cellulose papers


http://www.cjcom.net/articles/digiprn5.htm#About%20Alpha%20Cellulose%20Paper

Tim, thanks. Good to see that updated (Oct 15 05)...

I recall Clayton expressing some subjective enthusiasm about one of
the alpha cellulose papers here....am hoping to hear a nutshell
recommendation from him again, as I imagine he's been staying on top
of the issue. 

I also use Moab Kayenta (pre-folded cards)...very bright white, a
sometimes-more-attractive alternative to EEM. 


_______________________________________________

"Bear in mind among other things that most of you silver/gelatin fibre
based B&W prints are on alpha cellulose papers"

Yes...and/but the air-dried-gloss silver papers that we admire have
the archival advantage of a heavy baryta (clay) coating...

...am I correct that there aren't any inkjet papers with baryta? 

____________________________________________

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Timothy
Atherton" <tim@K...> wrote:
>
> 
> > Clayton...some time ago you commented favourably on your experience
> > with alpha cellulose-type paper (source? name?).
> 
> There are several of the more "art" type papers some of the Innova
papers,
> Red River, Moab
> 
> check Claytons list:
> 
> http://www.cjcom.net/articles/digiprn5.htm
> 
> There's Alpha Cellulose papers and there's alpha cellulose papers...
Bear in
> mind among other things that most of you silver/gelatin fibre based B&W
> prints are on alpha cellulose papers
> 
> 
>
http://www.cjcom.net/articles/digiprn5.htm#About%20Alpha%20Cellulose%20Paper
>

Hello Djon4,

>Clayton...some time ago you commented favorably on your experience
>with alpha cellulose-type paper (source? name?). 
>...except that solid black areas have an odd glistening/textured 
>effect when views from an angle...
>...have you continued to use alpha-cellulose? With your brand,
>have you observed the black phenom I mentioned above? What's your
>thinking about its longevity?

The one I use regularly is Kayenta.  As for the glistening effect,
I've seen that on some cotton papers as well.  IMO it's a property of
the coating, not the paper.  As for longevity, the highest quality is
supposed to be as pure (acid/lignen free) as cotton, and therefore
equal in longevity.  What we don't know is whether any given paper is
using that highest quality.  All we can do is read the info on it
provided by the maker and make our own decision.  Call them up and ask
if they don't provide enough information.  Moab claims "high alpha
cellulose" for Kayenta, which is the term applied to the purest fibers.

The "Paper Chase" article (#5 on the web link below) lists 25 papers
and their properties.  You can spot the AC papers very quickly in the
chart.  At the bottom of that article is a brief discussion about it.


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm