eddie
Member
I hand-color on fiber only.
Missed the "one year later" remark. Do you get low dMax when you expose a strip fully and develop three minutes? Dark gray isn't how I would describe the matt paper I've used. It's just measurably less density.One year later, this thread motivated me to obtain and print on some matte Ilford Multigrade Classic. I hadn't tried a silver gelatin paper that wasn't glossy since the early 1970s.
I'm not sure whether cadmium removal had anything to do with it, but weakness of blacks was even worse than I remember from lo those many decades ago. I agree that, aesthetically, the surface itself is exquisite, but can't overcome a dislike for no image tone denser than dark gray being available.
It is a shame, since matte inkjet prints, while unable to totally match the black levels of glossy gelatin silver, do quite a bit better dealing with low values. Perhaps HARMAN can learn something from that technology and apply it to 'our' papers.
I don't own a reflection densitometer, but would estimate the maximum black I'm obtaining from matte Multigrade Classic is approximately 1.5 density, as expected. "Dark gray" was my hyperbolic way of describing how that looks compared to what one gets from the air-dried glossy version of Classic.Missed the "one year later" remark. Do you get low dMax when you expose a strip fully and develop three minutes? Dark gray isn't how I would describe the matt paper I've used. It's just measurably less density.
One year later, this thread motivated me to obtain and print on some matte Ilford Multigrade Classic. I hadn't tried a silver gelatin paper that wasn't glossy since the early 1970s.
I'm not sure whether cadmium removal had anything to do with it, but weakness of blacks was even worse than I remember from lo those many decades ago. I agree that, aesthetically, the surface itself is exquisite, but can't overcome a dislike for no image tone denser than dark gray being available.
It is a shame, since matte inkjet prints, while unable to totally match the black levels of glossy gelatin silver, do quite a bit better dealing with low values. Perhaps HARMAN can learn something from that technology and apply it to 'our' papers.
Am I the ONLY one out there who finds the matt surface the most exquisite in terms of aesthetics?
I know that the blacks are not up to the level that gloss imparts
Only if you used a Hasselblad to shoot the negativeThe blacks in mat prints are just really lacking.
Only if you used a Hasselblad to shoot the negative.
Papers with texture need to be printed using a slightly different approach. And they suit some subjects, while others not so much.
This one looks good in satin.
View attachment 181942
Of course, that was shot with a Trip 35 that cost me $2.10![]()
Matt asks which version of matte is the matte that matters to youSatin is not mat, Matt.
Matt asks which version of matte is the matte that matters to you?
As satin has more texture than pearl/semi-matte, I'm curious where your dividing line is.
As a lifelong Kodak fan, I miss Ektalure "E".
I wish someone would have a variety pack of paper to try out. Reading this and looking at all the selections at Freestyle makes my head swim.
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