I've been scouring the sites reading about Epson, Hahnemuhle, Crane, Innova et all and everybody has their own opinion and stories.
My problem is that what their stories don't say is what the end result of the print is.
I'm a portrait photographer who has printed exclusively black and white by traditional methods on Ilford Warm Tone Black and White 20x24 Fiber Glossy paper for a long time. I will be picking up my Epson 7800 in a couple of weeks and would like to smooth the transition to digital by picking perhaps one paper to start with. I fully expect to try different papers as time goes on, but would like recommendation on a great paper to begin with.
I've heard of the outgassing issues with a number of papers, which is a concern because I usually frame under plexiglas within a couple of days. Since I do this professionally, going to the clients house and cleaning the glass is not really an option.
I have always prefered traditional glossy (fiber) which is not very glossy, to any matte type of paper however I'm not totally sure if under glass it makes too much difference. I'm also not sure of the "look" of different "art" type papers and how they look under glass.
So my criteria is, 24 inch roll paper, portrait subject matter, black and white prints, outgassing issues due to quick framing (archivally), in the ballpark of what I'm getting now with traditional methods.
I realize that digital and traditional are not the same, but I need a starting point, to hit the ground running so to speak. Also please include which ink (photoblack vs matt black) works with your recommendation.
Thanks in advance.
Michael