All in all, there are so many options, choosing a few papers to try can be a little daunting, but, since I want to avoid OBAs, that does automatically narrow the field. So far, I've determined that Crane Museo Silver Rag and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl don't have OBAs, and I read Michael's comment that Ilford Gold Fibre Silk has 'essentially' no OBAs (though I'm not really sure what 'essentially' means in this instance). Also, I haven't managed to determine whether the other new barytas, the Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta and the Harmon Gloss FB AI, have OBAs or not. (Wow, this is almost like learning a new language.)
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As it turns out, I have samples of all the papers you mentioned in my lab as of last week. Here's a run down on OBA content based on Black light evaluation.
Crane Museo Silver Rag - none
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl ( I assume you mean Fineart Pearl) - Moderate level OBA concentration in ink receptor coating, moderate in paper base
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (in case you meant this product, but it is a matte fineart paper, doesn't emulate photo fiber base)- none in ink receptor coating, high in paper base,
Hahnemuhle Fineart Baryta - moderately high in ink receptor coating and in paper base
Ilford Gold Fiber Silk - none in ink receptor coating, high level in paper base, low in anti curl layer (but may be "show thru" from base).
Harmon AI Gloss - low in ink receptor coating, moderate in paper base, low in anti curl layer
Bottom line: a "yes" or "no" answer to the question "does it contain OBAs" is not easy. Manufacturers put different concentration levels in different coating layers and concentration and location influence the extent of the OBA "problem". This subject is of great interest to me because of the current concerns about OBA presence and image permanence. My light fade studies so far have not statistically shown a difference between fade resistance of different manufacturers' OBAs. Presumably, the chemistry is very similar. What the studies have shown shown clearly is that high levels in the ink receptor coatings from any of these manufacuturers are highly likely to contribute to early stage paper white changes in light fade testing. OBA fluorescence loss occurring significantly in as little as 10 megalux-hours ( equals 5 years on display at industry standard 450lux/12 hour per day average estimated display light levels). Also, note that the level of colorimetric (or densitometric) change attributable to loss of OBA fluorescence is typically below the "failure point" criterion for paper white yellowing in industry light fade testing criteria so it is generally unaccounted for in "display life" figures, yet it is definitely noticeable to discriminating printmakers and print collectors.
What all of this means is that papers containing no OBAs are free of early stage paper "yellowing" but may in fact show some very subtle light bleaching that "whitens" them. Papers that have OBAs in paper base but not in ink receptor coating are likely to show just noticeable but not easily noticeable visual changes due to OBA "burnout", whereas papers with moderate to high levels in the ink receptor coating are very likely to show noticeable loss of "cool bright white appearance" in relatively few years on display. That said, if initial paper color isn't all that important to you (ie. you don't mind "bright white" or "natural" paper white color appearance) and paper surface texture is important to you, then anyone of these papers may become your preferred choice. Note also, that if you frame under UV filtered glazing, you will lose that "super bright white appearance from high OBA content immediately (because it is the UV content at approximately 370 nm wavelength that triggers the fluorescence).
Other factors with these papers, especially with pigmented inkjet systems, are level of bronzing and differential gloss. In my tests, these factors also significantly differentiate these papers, and are more likely to affect your final buying decision, so it isn't a simple go-no go proposition on OBA content or any of these parameters for that matter. You really need to try a sample pack or two, and check them out. For example, while I appreciate Michael Reichmann's preference for IGF (it certainly wins on price), I find it has more bronzing and differential gloss on my Canon ipF5000 than other papers you mentioned. Thus, while very attractive to me in price, it is hard for me to say I "prefer" IGF because some of the other papers you mentioned perform better in initial overall IQ on my ipF5000. Wish I could tell you there was a clear cut winner, but ultimately it is very much a matter of personal taste.
I hope this explanation helps,
Best regards,
Mark McCormick
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