favorite matte fiber paper?

[temujin]

hello all. i have printed mostly on glossy papers in the past, but i am starting to work with some matte papers to explore something new. i have printed on ilford multigrade fiber matte, but don't much like the tonality of that paper. i just ordered some bergger vccm, and i'm hoping it will suit my tastes better. i am curious as to what your favorite matte (or semi-matte) fiber papers are, and what you like about them. also, what about the semi-matte vc papers from kentmere? i like kentmere bromide, but alas it is available only in glossy. i have heard some say that kentmere's vc papers are lacking in contrast at the higher vc settings. is this true in your experience? thanks

 

[Bryce Parker]

I've used Forte's semi matte, neutral tone paper for the last few years. I'd describe it as follows- Mediocre shadow detail retention, true contrast range of maybe grades 1-3 1/2, not 00-5. Now for the good stuff- for a matte surface paper it gives good solid blacks, true black and white (as opposed to yellowish or bluish whites and off tone blacks), and is easy to handle. By this I mean you really have to be a klutz to damage the surface; the emulsion is very hard to crack.
Sadly the stuff is going the way of dinosaurs and I'm seeking a replacement. Kentmere is the only company selling a competetive product to my knowlege and I haven't seen it or used it yet. So I hope to hear feedback from someone who has used both?

 

[Ole]

Bergger "Silver Supreme Portrait" may not have the highest Dmax, but it has the deepest most "velvety" blacks of any paper I've ever tried.

If you want matte, there's nothing "matter".

 

[George Papantoniou]

Kodak Ektalure, Agfa Portriga...

Nowadays, Kentmere and Foma, probably.

 

[Bryce Parker]

Ole-
For me, reduced toner activity may actually not be a deal breaker. Forte's paper is a little difficult to tone well; even with highly diluted (1+20) KRST I always have struggled to get really consistent toning, and purple isn't what I'm after- just enough to kill the greenish cast is all I'm after.
How about D max, would you say the two papers are comparable?
Thanks for the opinion, when I run out of Forte I'll begin fiddling with Kentmere and see how I like it.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

With the demise of Forte I'm working with Arista II VC-FB from Freestyle. It is not really a MATT paper but a Semi-matt.
I don't think I'm going to miss Forte much.