Has anyone had a chance to compare HP Baryte Satin Art to Harman FB Al, Hahnamuhle Photo Rag Baryta or Hahnamuhle Fine Art Baryta?
HP Baryte Satin has a reasonably subtle "stochastic looking" surface texture and a reflectivity that are essentially identical to that of Hahnemuhle's Photo rag pearl- which is no bad thing. The image quality is very high indeed, and I've even gotten really good oranges & reds on both these papers. Unfortunately, HP Baryte satin is just a bit too thin, and it tends to cockle (or develop ripples) under the inkload, especially with large prints that have a lot of dark areas. Hahnemuhle's various Photo rag variants are much thicker and more solid feeling in the hand, and hold up fine under the inkload.
Harman FB AI is quite different, with an extremely glossy surface texture. It tends to provide a bit more perceived fine detail, and d-max is fabulous, but I find it way too shiny and delicate for my photos, and the OBA load gives it a super-bright blue/white tone. Some people love it, though.
You may also want to check out Crane silver rag. It provides a d-max just as deep as Harman FB AI, without the supergloss finish. Hand feel is also nice, and it's a bit more resistant to scratches. The surface texture is a bit less pleasant than the photo rags, though.
I have some Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta on order; I'm hoping for a slightly better d-max than HP Baryte satin or photo rag pearl provide.