Topic: New Moab Colorado Paper (Read 11815 times)

huwmorgan · « **on:** October 09, 2007, 12:49:20 pm »

There is a great deal of interest in new fibre papers such as the new Epson Exhibition Fiber, Crane Museo Silver Rag, Innova F-type FibaPrint, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta and Harmon Gloss FB AI.

I noticed that Moab has also introduced a couple of new papers: Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss and Satine. I've used Moab Entrada before and found it to be an excellent rag paper and a bargain compared to Hahnemuhle papers.

Has anyone purchased the Moab paper and compared it to these other new papers?

MartinA · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2007, 08:36:33 am »

Quote

There is a great deal of interest in new fibre papers such as the new Epson Exhibition Fiber, Crane Museo Silver Rag, Innova F-type FibaPrint, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta and Harmon Gloss FB AI.

I noticed that Moab has also introduced a couple of new papers: Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss and Satine. I've used Moab Entrada before and found it to be an excellent rag paper and a bargain compared to Hahnemuhle papers.

Has anyone purchased the Moab paper and compared it to these other new papers?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=144848\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I bought a box of it when it came out, made a profile, and printed a couple of test prints. It was some months ago and I did not do any detailed testing. The prints curl much more than other paper I've used recently and I thought the surface did not hold a candle to the Innova F-Type FibaPrint. It has been a while since I tried the Colorado paper though and I do not remember much more about it than the two things I mentioned.

ltphoto · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2007, 11:26:55 am »

I tried some (glossy) from a sample pack. My quick observations were that it is a fairly heavy paper and prints very nicely. It is warmer than other glossy papers I have used. I did not see any significant improvement in detail or tonal range over the Moab Kokopelli gloss that I have used for quite some time. Due to this I decided it was not worth the price premium and have not purchased any more.

Roy

Lewis_Levin · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2007, 11:33:40 am »

It's seriously junk. It came so curved, brand new and unprinted out of the box, that it would not feed on an Epson 4800, which uses suction to hold the paper flat. My first attempt to print the profile measurement pattern the paper jammed the printer. In thousands of pages through the 4800 I have never had a jam from the paper tray before. The pages are curved across the short dimension (8.5"), not the long dimension. The latter is what occurs as paper goes through the self-feeder on the printer. Curvature across the short dimension is a manufacturing flaw.

At $1.25 a sheet, this is a product you can take a pass on. There are far better products.

Harman Gloss FB Al has a better surface, though it takes on a curve after printing. It has a wonderful surface.

Innova Fibaprint Ultrasmooth Gloss isn't quite as smooth as the Harman, but it lies completely flat even after printing.

I could not believe how bad the Moab was.

KPieper · « **Reply #4 on:** November 16, 2007, 10:36:55 pm »

Anyone else with information on this paper? After reading about the Harman gloss problems, I'm at a loss for which F-type paper to try.

abiggs · « **Reply #5 on:** November 16, 2007, 11:53:43 pm »

Quote

It's seriously junk. It came so curved, brand new and unprinted out of the box, that it would not feed on an Epson 4800, which uses suction to hold the paper flat. My first attempt to print the profile measurement pattern the paper jammed the printer. In thousands of pages through the 4800 I have never had a jam from the paper tray before. The pages are curved across the short dimension (8.5"), not the long dimension. The latter is what occurs as paper goes through the self-feeder on the printer. Curvature across the short dimension is a manufacturing flaw.

At $1.25 a sheet, this is a product you can take a pass on. There are far better products.

Harman Gloss FB Al has a better surface, though it takes on a curve after printing. It has a wonderful surface.

Innova Fibaprint Ultrasmooth Gloss isn't quite as smooth as the Harman, but it lies completely flat even after printing.

I could not believe how bad the Moab was.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=147608\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Lewis, there were some issues with the first batch of Colorado Fiber shipments. The curl that you encountered was rectified. You can ask and receive a swap out for your box of curled paper.

Colorwave · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2007, 12:23:05 am »

I haven't tried the Colorado line yet myself (anybody else with a Z3100 try it yet?), but I did come across this pseudo-review:
http://www.phototechmag.com/articles/artic...wGeneration.pdf

-Ron H.

KPieper · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2007, 01:32:50 pm »

Thanks for the link, Ron. I'm glad to see the curling issue has been resolved. I'll have to get a sample pack and compare to the Harman line.

Kevin

Colorwave · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2008, 11:38:54 pm »

I just, finally got a roll of the Colorado Satine 245 to test. I saw a print sample on the gloss and liked the texture, but wanted a little less sheen, so I picked up a 24' roll of the oddly spelled Satine finish.

I was a little scared after calibrating and profiling it with APS on my Z3100 when the profile pattern came out with major marks and a lot of buckling in places, but I've seen it produce crappy profile patterns and fine prints before, so I forged ahead.

I'v only tried it with black and white, so far, but it printed flawlessly. No buckling. Great dMax. No gloss differential with GE on (I saw a fair amount of it in my profile print). I'd love to see it slightly thicker, especially for larger prints, but the surface, depth and subtle fiber texture are all much to my liking. I don't like much texture in my papers, and this has just enough to add a little something, in a natural look with no RC yuck. The paper is pretty highly OBAed, and extremely bright, but not really bluish to my eye.

A little more thickness and a little less OBAs and I'd call this a home run. As it is, it is good enough to become one of my regular offerings, and my favorite fiber paper (at least until I get a loan approved to buy some Epson Exhibition Fiber to test).

-Ron H.

rdonson · « **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2008, 12:07:32 pm »

Thanks for the nice review, Ron. What paper type did you use for profiling?

Colorwave · « **Reply #10 on:** January 19, 2008, 02:05:03 pm »

Quote

Thanks for the nice review, Ron. What paper type did you use for profiling?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=168191\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I used Pearl (more ink), but think I may play with the less ink variation to see if I still get the same dMax. I'm going to play with some color images later this weekend, too. I was pleasantly surprised that the gloss enhancer did not seem to change the texture for the worse or make it look like it was encapsulated under a coating. The ink looks integrated into the paper (not sitting on top) and the GE just makes it a little bit glossier and unifies the sheen.
-Ron H.

rdonson · « **Reply #11 on:** January 19, 2008, 09:12:28 pm »

Quote

I used Pearl (more ink), but think I may play with the less ink variation to see if I still get the same dMax. I'm going to play with some color images later this weekend, too. I was pleasantly surprised that the gloss enhancer did not seem to change the texture for the worse or make it look like it was encapsulated under a coating. The ink looks integrated into the paper (not sitting on top) and the GE just makes it a little bit glossier and unifies the sheen.
-Ron H.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=168217\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Let me know what paper type you think works best when you're done experimenting.

I know what you mean about the GE. I like using it on H Photo Rag Satin although I only have a few images that really look good on that paper.

mmurph · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2008, 10:15:59 pm »

I have a box sitting here, have not had a chance to test it yet. I have been working on a couple of other projects.

I'd be interested to hear more about this paper too. The surface looks nice on the Satine.

I like the Harman Glossy AI a lot, it is a very beautifil paper, but the surface is just a little too smooth for me. I like the slight texture of the Epson Exhibition Fiber better.

The Hahnemuehle Pearl and Crane have a bit too much texture for me, too much in the other direction. The Hahnemuehle Baryta looks very promising, closer to the Epson. I also have a box of that sitting here untested.

Best,
Michael

P Macino · « **Reply #13 on:** January 21, 2008, 02:34:47 am »

I picked up a roll of the Satine for my portfolio (placed in poly sheets), so I wanted a PK "matte". I have a 4880 and have rolls of the Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta and Sheets of Innova Fibre Gloss, Harman FB-AL, and Epson Exhibition Fiber. I won't compare it to those, the Satine is not a fiber gloss like the others.

I profiled the Colorado Satine using my Eye-One SG and I was off and running. I started printing 11x14's within a half hour of profiling. I've had no issues what so ever with it. 15-20 11x14's complete, first try and no reprints, they look fantastic.

Colorwave · « **Reply #14 on:** January 27, 2008, 12:49:52 am »

I've come to the conclusion that this paper is great for small to medium sized prints using a quad blacks on my Z3100, but that it is not well suited for color work. I absolutely love the surface for black and white, but have issues with bronzing when printing in color. It's a shame, because I had my fingers crossed that I would like it for a broader range of prints. As it is, with it's relatively light weight, I would not want to use it for bigger prints than maybe 20" x 30" at the most. I certainly like the look of it enough, though, to keep some around for the niche it does well.

-Ron H.

P Macino · « **Reply #15 on:** January 27, 2008, 05:10:55 pm »

Quote

I've come to the conclusion that this paper is great for small to medium sized prints using a quad blacks on my Z3100, but that it is not well suited for color work. I absolutely love the surface for black and white, but have issues with bronzing when printing in color. It's a shame, because I had my fingers crossed that I would like it for a broader range of prints. As it is, with it's relatively light weight, I would not want to use it for bigger prints than maybe 20" x 30" at the most. I certainly like the look of it enough, though, to keep some around for the niche it does well.

-Ron H.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=169901\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

That's odd, printing color on the 4880, I'm not seeing any bronzing at all (3 blacks). I'm using a glossy (250) setting as my media type, rather than a luster, with the profile I rolled for the satine. Like you mention earlier, the ink does indeed appear to be in the paper rather than "on it".

Have you tried doing that instead of luster? It was weird, my first inclination was to do luster, but after checking their website...They list luster for the 4800 and gloss for the 4880. That makes me think it could go either way with unlisted printers.

Colorwave · « **Reply #16 on:** January 27, 2008, 06:45:40 pm »

Quote

Have you tried doing that instead of luster? It was weird, my first inclination was to do luster, but after checking their website...They list luster for the 4800 and gloss for the 4880. That makes me think it could go either way with unlisted printers.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=170063\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I haven't tried any other media settings for this paper. It is worth a shot. I will see if it makes a difference next time I have a roll of it loaded.
-Ron H.

mmurph · « **Reply #17 on:** January 27, 2008, 07:44:16 pm »

I finally got a chance to test the Satine. It is a decent paper, a little light in weight. I used the Moab profile. No brozing even on my Epson 7600.

I happened to have a test print on Entrada next to the Satine. I had to conclude that I prefer the Entrada, which is a bit of a surprise. But the Entrada had a custom profile. I may make a profile for the Satine and try again.

I also had a chance to try the Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta, which is a beautiful paper. I like the surface as much as I do the surface on the Epson Exhibition Fiber. Definitely worth a look! The surface on the Satine is also subtle, unlike some of the newer fiber papers.

Best,
Michael

Author Topic: New Moab Colorado Paper (Read 11815 times)