Media Quality:
1) The 260gsm is an ideal weight for a good photo paper
2) The finish is good & smooth
3) Optical brightness is perfect
Media Print Quality:
1) The print rendition was of high quality
2) The shadow & highlights worked well with my blue toned monochrome
3) The contrast was good in general
It would have been better if we can 2 different media formats to compare with plus an option to print color & B&Ws. Perhaps something that can be considered for the next test runs. Otherwise, very pleased with the result in general.
Sushil Chauhan
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Looking at the two example you printed for me, the color print and the B/W print, I can just note that the weight is impressive and is giving a sensation of long-lasting performance. As well the finishing.
Brightness also is above average, giving life to the subject, with the Semi-Matte finishing perfect for most of the images.
The range of color is impressive, realistic and so close to the original, giving the image the natural touch that a photographer is looking for. A smooth passage between shadows and highlights is also giving the tridimensional effect that makes the photo becoming live, without compromising the important level of contrast that every picture needs.
Generally, a very good and positive impression from this media, applied to the digital file I gave you for this test.
Paolo Torchio
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I found the photo print of excellent quality and finishing. The paper thickness and weight was ideal for my use as it is pliable and can be framed easily. The semi-matt finish brought out the colours more as it was not too shiny.
I found the colour print resolution and rendition to be very good. All the gold, brown and yellow colours brought the image to life –just as I had seen it in reality. The image print contrasted well against the background –this focused the viewer’s attention on the lion image.
However, the black and white image did not bring out the lion’s eyes as it was too dark. Maybe increasing the shadow settings during processing could have improved the overall image.
Lamak Sheikh
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Media Quality:
~Media Weight - 260gsm is an ideal weight. It is not too flimsy, yet not too hard and heavy. It has just enough weight to offer a feel of quality and elegance while also providing durability.
~Media Finish - Semi matt seems to fit the description. Usually matte has less contrast, but this seems to show the contrast relatively well. It is not too glossy (seems close to lustre), with just enough "glossiness" without having significant reflection if light is shone towards the print. This paper is also not susceptible to fingerprints which is a big plus.
~Optical Brightness - Not having too much experience in this, I find it difficult to comment. However, the white of this paper does not seem overly warm nor is it excessively bright. Looks somewhat neutral to me.
Media Print Quality:
~Colour Depth & Rendition - the print has more of an orange/brown tinge as opposed to the actual digital photo, especially in the the lighter parts of the image. I am happy with the accuracy of the deep blacks. However, I did convert this image from colour to sepia (which already has lots of browns and oranges). I feel a colour photograph would be better to analyse the colour depth and rendition.
~Shadows & Highlights - Quite accurate compared to the digital image on screen.
~Contrast - My photo having an overall white background, the foreground contrasted well with the white background. However the foreground image within itself lacked some contrast compared with the digital image on screen. the darker parts could be darker and the lighter parks could be lighter.
Personal Comments:
The paper has a good look and feel to it, being a bit heavy and durable. Overall I am happy with this paper, but would like to experiment with non monochrome images on this type of paper as well. This paper would also be good for fine art prints.
I could consider this paper as a versatile and 'go-to' paper for most prints. Being not so reflective, yet not so 'flat' as in some matte papers, this can be used for printing and framing photos in a variety of lighting conditions.
Adnan Samani
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I have tested the paper on a pure black and white image that features deep blacks and highlights. The result was overall very satisfactory. The printed image displayed a nice three dimensionality and the semi-matte finish is pleasing to look at. My preference is for slightly less glossy finish while retaining the three-dimensionality if possible. But that’s all down to personal taste. The image was represented faithfully and exactly the way I intended it to look at without need for any additional intervention.
In particular, I was positively impressed by how the printed image preserved the details in the deep dark areas of the image and in the brighter parts. Extremely rich tonalities from black to white were achieved.
As my work is currently mostly black and white, I didn’t have a chance to experience the rendition of the colours.
The paper felt slightly light to me in weight, maybe because I am used to much heavier papers. However, I noticed that the print kinked very easily, even with careful handling.
Overall my judgement of the paper is very positive.
Federico Veronesi
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The weight of the paper is just right, I would say that they achieved the sweet spot when it comes to that.
In terms of the media finish, it is well done and looks good with or without a frame.
The optical brightness could be better to give the picture a bit more punch.
The colour depth and rendition of the picture is satisfactory.
When it comes to the shadows and highlights, they are well defined.
The contrast in the picture is good in black and white. It can be slightly better in coloured prints.
Generally I think it is a good paper and I would be willing to use it, especially after improvement on the optical brightness.
Rich Allela
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~The paper weight feels good, I feel the weight could be slightly heavier.
~Paper scratches easily, leaving marks on the print.
~I like the roughness of the print surface, it is slightly grainy, giving you a very slight gesture to the paper.
~If the surface is slightly wet, the ink comes off pretty quick. I would not recommend wiping off dust with a slightly damp cloth.
~Does not crease very easily which is good.
~Vibrance in the colour prints is really good, I like the depth in the colour prints.
~Black and white images, I feel the really dark areas of the pictures, areas close to total black we are loosing detail, for example in the landscape picture, the areas close to the road in the foreground the darker colours are crushed.
~Black and white images, Again with the highlights, I feel we are loosing some of the borderline total white highlights. If I study the same picture again the clouds, there is a very tiny spot in the clouds where it is total white, but on the print we have lager areas of Total white.
~Black and white images, midrange tones are picking up very well, no complaints on that.
Gurveer Sira
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My instant reaction on seeing the print in person was one of immediate pleasure. It looked amazing, colours popping and details very clearly showing. Being a macro photographer, detail is everything. This paper was able to distinctly show even the tiniest detail of the insects even in both shadow and highlight portions of the photograph.
The whiteness of the paper made the colours pop even more. The contrast between dark and light areas was beautifully rendered in print. Variations in colour was also great, with the gradients of tone made clearly visible. Especially so on the black and white photograph, with the various levels of grey clearly presented. I couldn't have asked for a better print of my insect photographs.
Eric Gitonga
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1) MEDIA WEIGHT
I find the media sturdy, the paper is heavy enough to sustain the final prints from the risk of tear and creasing as a result of handling,its weight also allows for the opportunity to explore various mounting options that a lighter media would have allowed.
2) MEDIA FINISH
The semi-matte finish applied on the final print is great,I find that it very much complements the media weight by making it more robust but doesn't add any much weight to the paper itself, its textured feel also accentuates the quality and overall outlook of artworks printed on the paper, such a real feel,almost as if one could touch the subject.
3)OPTICAL BRIGHTNESS
I love that the media has great clarity especially for the blacks and whites, the whites clearly remain white and the blacks the same giving the overall artwork a clean look, its response to various qualities of light is really great, everything remains the same regardless of light temperature and quantity.
4) COLOR DEPTH AND RENDITION
I have found the color rendition great, the media retains the color quality as would have been seen in a real life setting by the human eye.The colors on the final print are revealed as they would in the original artwork's ideal setting. I'm sorry I know not yet much about color depth so I wont lie and give a commentary.
5) SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
I love that the print media retains and reveals the shadows and highlights as idealised in the original artwork, both aren't either darkened or lightened in the final print and this helps the print maintain its overall feel and integrity, mood remains just as was intended by the artist.
6) CONTRAST
This I must admit is great based on the media used to test print, this is maintained and there is clearly a difference between the dark and light areas of the final prints. The media produces great solid colors as intended with no in-betweens the whites and blacks and also for the colored variations.
CONCLUSION
I feel the media is great for an artist like me who majors in fine-art and creative imagery, it maintains the integrity of my work and I'd definitely love to have more of my work produced for print on this media.
Brian Otieno
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