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tgtaylor
16-Jul-2012, 10:58
Has anyone out there printed with this paper yet? What's your impressions?

Thomas

BarryS
16-Jul-2012, 11:32
I like it. It has a nice alt-process feel to the finished prints and it dries very flat--which is a nice change from most fiber papers. It tones easily in a thiocarbamide sepia toner and isn't much affected in selenium. Art 300 has a pronounced texture and an eggshell sheen, so it has a very distinctive look. I've made some comparison prints on Art 300 and glossy MGWT--and the ART 300 softens the image. The tactile quality of the paper is luxurious, so I'm planning on using it for some portfolios of boxed unmounted prints. The scanned look is somewhat grotesque and framing it behind cheap float glass is less than satisfying.

I think of it as a modern equivalent of William Dassonville's Charcoal Black--a small run idiosyncratic printing paper.

Jay DeFehr
16-Jul-2012, 13:29
I've used less than one box of 11x14, so I'm no expert, but I have a few observations I can offer. It's quirky. The surface is very prone to glare, which requires viewing conditions be tightly controlled. The texture obscures detail, so I don't like it for every kind of portrait, or in small sizes (8x10, or smaller). It floats like a cork. I got stains that ruined several prints in toning (Agfa Viradon). Otherwise, the image tone is very beautiful. It is easy to flatten, and it stays flat. That's all I've got.

cowanw
16-Jul-2012, 13:40
Leaving it in the fixer longer than recomended may be associated with the staining.

bob carnie
16-Jul-2012, 13:41
I just finished a marathon printing session of proof prints 11x14 , four days and I have just finished the bleach sepia and selenium.

Before this session I was convinced it was going to be the paper of choice for a few shows that I have slated.
Lots of see through when wet, lots of unexplained dark spots on paper surface when wet, and lots of frilling on edges.

When dry all marks go away, and toning was done so I cannot blame fog or contamination or under fixing.

I really like this paper , its basically Ilford Warmtone on a Hannamuhle bartya base.
Not sure now whether to go back to the IWT or not as these small issues could become much more problematic when I start printing out the shows and editions.
I have sent a couple of Jpegs to Harmon through my dealer with Cat numbers and hopefully they can fill me in re the problems I am seeing.

I beta tested this paper before it was released , and I have done a Mural Show with it with no problems... just these last 4 boxes of 11 x14 have shown this issue.

bob carnie
16-Jul-2012, 13:43
Leaving it in the fixer longer than recomended may be associated with the staining.

Can you explain this as it is IWT emulsion and I do see stains when wet which I never see with my regular batches of IWT. It is very perplexing .

cowanw
16-Jul-2012, 14:46
I can't explain it, but I have had a hard time changing my work flow and getting the prints out of the fixer in 1 minute.
Ilford stresses the difficulty of washing if left in the fixer longer, the need for longer washes and associates staining with inadequate washes.
I suppose Wash aids may be required, but you have for more experience than I.
Regarding IWT, I notice the wash time is 2 minutes and for ART is 30-45 minutes, so something is different.

Jay DeFehr
16-Jul-2012, 14:58
Leaving it in the fixer longer than recomended may be associated with the staining.

I might have fixed a little longer than 1 minute, but I washed for at least an hour. I have the rest of the box left (also 11x14, Bob), so I'll pay special attention to fix and wash times. Thanks for the tip!

tgtaylor
17-Jul-2012, 10:51
Thanks for the replies everyone!

I bought a box of 5x7 MG Art 300 to experiment with and had planned to print a image of an oak tree that I posted in the Trees thread with it last night. However I planned to reposition the easel for the 5x7 after I had printed a couple of 6x7 negatives first and didn't get finished with the 6x7's until 1:30 and was too tired to continue on. But the last one I printed was a gem:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7591648668_e797ffb873_z.jpg

I think that this image will work well with the new paper and plan to test it with the 5x7 size shortly.

Thomas

bob carnie
17-Jul-2012, 10:56
So after looking at the prints dry today all of the see through is gone and no staining... this is perplexing... Harmon has been sent some jpegs to look at the see through and the dark spots.

cowanw
17-Jul-2012, 15:00
Please share what they say, as it comes in.