B&W digital prints

[chaser of light]

Being new to digital, I find that the regular RC photo paper available at my Fuji lab much poorer( in many ways) than the old traditional silver rich paper!
Is there a variety of paper to choose from? Or are we stuck with RC for digital?:help:

[Linda G]

Look for it, there is a b&w digital paper, but having it in stock, taking the time to calibrate it, change settings, etc, isn't worth it to many labs...ask and you'll find one sometime!

[chaser of light]

Hi Linda,

Thanks for your response, does this paper have a name?'
Remember I'm on a small island lost in the eastern Med. We have one Fuji lab with a Minilab Fuji printer 8x10 and some inkjet plotters....they tell me that the minilab will only do one type of paper...same one they use for colour prints!

Ive had some done on canvas on the plotter and thet look better than the colour paper ones, but canvas is hard to keep in a portfolio as its not rigid....just messy to handle...so I have to keep after the paper, one that would go on the plotter?

Here on the island I wont find a thing but my GF is flying back to the US next month and could bring some back if we knew where to look?

Chaser of paper:)

[Linda G]

Okay,

You have a dilemma. I would check the internet and see what digital printers here have. Email, etc, to find out, then maybe you could ftp your files and have them printed, shipped to where your girlfriend will be staying and she could then bring them back. More than that, I couldn't help you, I'm afraid.

[chaser of light]

Thanks Linda, will get on with the search.....Ill let you know what I find.

[ianmcc]

I was just coming here to post about Lensworks portfolios,.. On fibre based paper, but i believe the negs are digital output, I used to have a book on this, before the days of the option of a minilab or custom lab outputting your files.

You create a file and then get a con tone neg output by a graphic supplier, and then contact the neg on your paper of choice. The line screen and the shape of the dot make the contact print look as great as a normal print.

check out Lensworks, here, some nice work of the stones of Britain are being offered.

http://www.lenswork.com/lwf-006.htm

[chaser of light]

Thanks ianmcc, Ill contact them and see if they can help.

[ianmcc]

I'll try and dig up that book,..I never did do this,.. but did try it on a smaller scale, I
took an image, added type etc and then output a 150 line screen and contact to RC paper,.. worked pretty good.

[rsvpgrfx]

i needed a black and white print from an RGB digital file and took it to my local lab, where they did a "black and white" print on color kodak paper, it looks great, completely neutral, rich tonal detail

[ianmcc]

Yeah that's not the issue, I think he is looking for a fibre based print from files... something a bit more archival?

[rsvpgrfx]

let me elaborate

i got a black and white print on kodak color PHOTOGRAPHIC Matte paper<not injet, dye, thermal or laser>, from an RGB Digital file.

as I understand it ALL photographic papers are fiber

[jeffinkansas]

I don't think that all photographic papers are fiber. Most in fact (these days) are RC or Resin coated, and there are no color fiber papers available. As far as I know, there are no labs exposing B&W fiber paper with lightjet technology. It is possible to expose film with a high resolution montior and then print traditionally however. For B&W inkjet printing, I use Hanamuhle (sp?) photorag 308g. It is a wonderful weight that is reminicent of the fiber papers I used exclusively in college. It has a matt finish however, and if that is not your preference then I am not sure what would be best for you. The way I sastisfyl my pickyness (coming from a very picky silver printing background) is with the afformentioned paper and the matte black ink cartridge in the Epson 2200. Takes some tweaking, but wow the prints it can make!!!!

But to answer the original question, if you want to output your files to a lightjet source, you are stuck with RC. It is just not cost effective to process the fiber. (remember the washing and tong marks and the list goes on)

My paper source, which would work in that plotter you mentioned, is
http://www.lexjet.com
they have great prices, and most of the phone people have used all the papers personally.

sorry about the rambling

[chaser of light]

Thanks jeffinkansas.The Ilford Galerie may be the answer.
If its anything like the original galerie B&W paper that I have used in my predigital days, then Ive found what I was looking for!:rockon:

[ianmcc]

I think the Ilford Galerie paper I have for my inkjet is also a rc based paper. It feels great cuz it is thick like a Double weight fibre print.

But I got the sense you want a "old school" fibre based print. Was I wrong?

[Bill C]

For my BW 'archival' 'art' prints, I use Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper - 100% cotton rag - 260g/m2 19mil ... I use this with the Epson 2200, however I change the photo black cartridge with the Matte Black. The paper has to be fed thru the manual slot in the back (to keep it flat)...results are wonderful.
Bill