Slickrock Metallic Pearl vs Metallic Silver

[dchew]

In some ways these two are similar, but in others they are very different! I by chance laid them out on the table next to a large window. Pearl on the bottom, Silver on the top. They can really look blue in natural light, but the response is almost completely opposite depending on the angle.

[BradSmith]

Last September, I got an 8x10 sample pack of the so-called metallic inkjet papers from IT Supplies and printed my reference image on all of them with the downloaded profiles for each paper. The Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver  (the blue one in your photos) was clearly an outlier from all the other papers.  The paper itself is an almost middle gray toned silver color - it is NOT white.  It looked very strange, and I can't imagine how I would ever use this paper. 

For whatever it is worth, here is my writeup of my conclusions from when I did the test in September 2015.

>>>>>>>>>>

Metallic Paper Test vs Some Standard Papers I Use

Papers Compared:
Simply Elegant Metallic Chrome Gloss
Simply Elegant Metallic Pearl  (Simply Elegant is, I think, an IT Supply branded paper)
Moab Slickrock Metallic Pearl
Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver
Epson Metallic Prem. Paper Glossy
Epson Metallic Luster
Kodak Professional Inkjet Photo Paper - Metallic
compared with:
Canson Baryta Phtotograpique
Epson Premium Photo Paper Luster

RESULTS (prices shown are for a sheet of 13” x 19”)

Metallics
IT Supplies’ house brand, Simply Elegant Metallic Chrome had the best pearlescent look. I liked it best  $2.60

Moab Metallic Pearl was just about identical, but  @ $3.36

Kodak Profess. Inkjet Ph Pa Metallic was almost their equal on a thinner paper base, with very slightly less of the “pearlescent” metallic look.  Maybe closer to a normal glossy print.    But only $1.85

The Epsons metallics had bad profiles – they were too dark and the Ep Metallic LUSTER had a terrible profile that printed with a pinkish hue.  $2.00


Compared to Other Papers for Control
Epson Premium Luster – Excellent color equal to the best above, but a duller reflective surface.  No hint of the depth of pearlescent finish.  $1.82  (Arista II Luster, from Freestyle Photo in Los Angeles, untested here, but in the past, visually identical to Eps Prem Luster is only $1.13)

Canson Baryta Photographique – less glossy than the metallic, but very good color.  Very slightly more green and tiny bit lighter-(probably a profile issue).  $2.90


Summary
The Simply Elegant Metallic Chrome is really beautiful as a metallic and is cheaper than Canson Baryta Photographique.  If I want to print on Glossy, I should probably use Simply Elegant Metallic Chrome.

 

[GrahamBy]

(the blue one in your photos)

I think the point was that which one is the "blue one" depends on the angle of light: the blue print in the 3rd photo is the one that is white in the first two.

[BradSmith]

I think the point was that which one is the "blue one" depends on the angle of light: the blue print in the 3rd photo is the one that is white in the first two.

thanks, Graham.  You're right.

I've gone back and looked more closely in varying lighting situations. The Metallic Silver looks like what I described as a medium silver/gray and dchew described in his first images as the "blue one" under almost all lighting angles.   But when it is almost acting as a mirror and you're viewing the light source directly reflected in the image, it brightens tremendously and what you'd expect to be white looks WHITE.  But the range of viewing angle relative to the light source, where it does this, is very small.  It will be gray blue except in the very small viewing angle where you can see the light source directly reflected in the image.  I have some ceiling mounted track lights on a series of 11x14 and 16x20's on a wall in my house.   I taped the 8x10 Metallic Silver to the glass.  From my normal eye level, the paper base is the dark, weird gray/blue.  If I lower my head about a foot, the light source begins to be directly reflected (mirror like) from the very top of the print to my eyes.  At this angle, the paper base at the very top goes to a mirror-like white.  Ultra reflective and bright.   Everything from about half way down the print remains the gray blue tone.  This is a VERY WEIRD paper, and once again, how could you use/display it???.   
Brad

[GrahamBy]

Yep, that is pretty much what metallic means to me. It seems like a gimmick more than anything, but I'm often wrong.

[BradSmith]

I only feel that way about the Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver. - the blue/gray paper.   In fact, the next time I feel like I want to do some work on glossy, I'm going to print on the Simply Elegant Metallic Chrome instead.  It exhibits what I'll call a depth or pearlescence that I liked.  I think it is worth some further trials.
Brad

[dchew]

Yeah the dramatic change based on lighting was the point. If you want an aluminum-like effect and have controlled lighting it would fit the bill. The look of these metallic papers are so image dependent. I have not yet learned what characteristics make a success. I can't see using this very often.

Perhaps some of the variability tied to reflective lighting goes away when mounted directly to a substrate like plexi. I don't know.

Dave