I'll have a major review here later this week.
This is the paper we've been waiting for!
Michael
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I agree with the reviewers. I grabbed a trial pack of both matte (warmtone) and Glossy yesterday and have been stunned by the quality of the paper. It is everything I have been looking for - proper blacks, brilliant tonal range, prints that really snap and zing - they are that crisp. Soft-proofing becomes easier with this paper - no need to compensate for weak blacks and muddy shadows. The weight and feel of the paper is a delight - I can finally banish the "plastic paper" and semi-retire the expensive Hahnemuehle Photo Rag!
With the glossy paper the print surface is just sublime with both b&w and colour. I am using a HP B9180 and prints are free from bronzing and gloss differential and as far as I can test also also free from metamerism. As commented by others; the b&w really does have a metallic glow and when printing colour images they are almost three dimensional - the substrate provides that much depth to the print.
I have also tried the Warmtone Matte paper and I am equally pleased. The B9180 prints beautiful b&w on the warmtone matte paper, with the boost in the dmax/blacks being particularly evident. This is probably one of the sharpest printing matte papers I have tried, with detail to match.
I haven't tried the regular Matte, but it ought to be very similar to the Warmtone, as I understand the only difference is that the "regular" has optical brighteners whilst the warmtone doesn't and is additionally described as acid-free and of museum grade standard.
I haven't had any problems with the surface being potentially delicate - aren't most fine art paper surfaces a little delicate? The B9180 certainly hasn't marked the paper (glossy or matte) so far!
For the forum poster who wanted to know where it is available in the UK, it seems that supplies of the gloss are finally coming onstream (about a month later than promised). Speed Graphic ([a href=\"http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk]Speed Graphic[/url]www.speedgraphic.co.uk) has stocks of all three papers in all cut sizes - but the larger sizes of Gloss have only just come in stock in the last day or so. Speedgraphic seem to be one of the first to get stock of the Gloss paper, from my trawl of the internet, although I emailed several other reliable online stores (UK) and they are all expecting stocks within the next two weeks. BTW - I have no connection with Speed Graphic save that I use them from time to time.
On the strength of the prints I made yesterday with the trial packs, I have ordered some packs of A3+ and I expect this to become my standard paper.