Yes it is much more matt than you might expect from the word "Satin" I was surprised at how matt it is. It suits some scenes and may be a lot better for the likes of hand-colouring or you wish to avoid any reflectiveness in the print but frankly in my opinion Pearl is much more like what I think of when the word satin is mentioned
Pearl is my favorite Ilford RC finish, very elegant. Yes, the blacks are not the strongest but there are also different aspects to strive for.
Edit: of course I meant satin, not pearl !
I prefer it to pearl, but it can be harder to find.
To my eye, pearl has a sort of textured look to it, where the satin appears smooth, and is slightly less reflective.
I think the pearl is meant to emulate the look of an air dried glossy fiber paper, but IMO, satin comes closer to that look.
that is very interesting, I have only used the pearl and satin finish it is almost impossible to find at least where I live so I want to give it a try I am also very curious about the glossy finish in the new generation, I have only used it on the Kentmere papers without very pleasant results
The new Ilford gen V rc in glossy is amazing. If you dry it on an old Ilford dryer like I was lucky to find, the gloss is better (or as good as) any other rc paper I've seen. It's so good you can't handle the prints except very carefully or you will see fingerprints. I haven't tried the satin. I like 5x5 and 5x7 inch prints, just received a box of pearl and glossy in 5x7. I've got a lot of negatives to print. For snapshots that are going to be handled the pearl works great.
Any of these surfaces can get glossy if over heated on a dryer, gets so hot the gelatin melts and levels.
The new Ilford gen V rc in glossy is amazing. If you dry it on an old Ilford dryer like I was lucky to find, the gloss is better (or as good as) any other rc paper I've seen. It's so good you can't handle the prints except very carefully or you will see fingerprints. I haven't tried the satin. I like 5x5 and 5x7 inch prints, just received a box of pearl and glossy in 5x7. I've got a lot of negatives to print. For snapshots that are going to be handled the pearl works great.
Any of these surfaces can get glossy if over heated on a dryer, gets so hot the gelatin melts and levels.
I really like the satin look, but it does give less contrast/less blacks than pearl. I love it for lower contrast prints where the depth of black isn't so important. It has a peculiar sheen to it that is extremely attractive to me .
Yes it is much more matt than you might expect from the word "Satin" I was surprised at how matt it is. It suits some scenes and may be a lot better for the likes of hand-colouring or you wish to avoid any reflectiveness in the print but frankly in my opinion Pearl is much more like what I think of when the word satin is mentioned