[quote name='deanwork' date='Nov 6 2009, 04:23 AM' post='322967']
But, to put it bluntly, the only way to perfect these surfaces is still a couple of light coats of a uv spray, in my opinion. That's still my remedy, unfortunately . But I'm glad we have what we have. This is still a media in progress.
John
John,
I'm still experimenting with the HP Baryta but there's also a pile of sheets of other brands that I want to test. One thing that I notice is some fog appearing on the print. I have written about that before. The gloss enhancer works perfectly on a lot of gloss materials but not on the HP Baryta, the fog stays. I that case it is easier to apply a varnish or a wax. I leave the GE out now. Less cockling too. Instead I polish the print very mildly with a woollen cloth after it dried thoroughly. That removes the fog and increases the contrast. Then I apply a wax. As this all shifts the tone range from the one calibrated I also try to calibrate the printer based on the end result. It is hard to fool the printer in the calibration stage but I'm getting there. I prefer the Z3100 for B&W though as it is basically more linear in its calibration on other papers.
I think the calibration stage should allow reinserting of the target too like it is possible with profiling. Varnished and laminated prints including canvas have another tone range than the basic stuff that is calibrated/linearised.
For the other gloss media I use the Qimage print filter with one channel pulled back from 255 to 254 to get the Economy GE mode covering the white image content too.
It is still a media in progress, like you write. I often wonder whether it is worth it. Why can't they make an alpha cellulose RC paper without OBAs but with the best whiteners around, the best resin barriers, the best inkjet coating and get that on the market? I have done my bit of analogue B&W printing on Brovira (it must have had OBA's), Portriga and some Ilford papers but to be honest I do not have the nostalgia for that look. Customers mention the baryta papers though. So my testing is a bit ambivalent.
met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla
Try:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/