Elegance vs Photo Rag: Rnd 2
I've printed tests on both Breathing Color's Elegance using a custom profile and Hahnemuehle Photo Rag 308 using Epson's Archival Matte MK profile (I'll have a profile for the rag early next week).
By itself the Elegance looks very nice, but beside the Photo rag (even just using the EAM profile) it looks well... lifeless. It's not huge but definitely noticeable. The Elegance print has murky blacks, holding less detail (e.g. around the cogs in the Photodisc test). Overall the Elegance has a dull look to it compared to the Photo Rag, There's something else - it's difficult to describe - but it's almost as if the inks are sitting on the surface more wit Elegance than Photo rag, creating an uneven, almost blotchy sheen, especially noticeable in the darker tones.
I'm glad I went the Photo Rag route and am looking forward to results with a profile. For my purposes Elegance looks to be outclassed by Photo Rag at this point in time.
posted by Pete Walsh @ 10:58 PM 11 comments
At 1:52 AM, Dave said...
Hi Pete,
I'e ben testing the Han. Photo Rag with the 4000 along with quite a few other fine art Matt papers (in conjunction with another very experienced user, and the differnces you descibed for the black ink appearance on the Han. Photo rag vs. Elegance is very similar to the compariso I've found with comparing Epson Enhanced Matt vs. Han Photo Rag. The black on Eposn Enhansed (Archival) Matt sort of sits on top of the paper and appears blochy especially if held on a angle. This isn't sen with the Han. Photo Rag. I tried the companies own profiles (for the Photo Rag) but on the 4000, the Epson Enhaned Matt profile worked far bettter and was a close match.
Dave
At 3:42 AM, scott Graham said...
Digital Art Supplies has a PhotoRag profie on their website
digitalartsupplies.com
haven't tried it yet though
At 2:10 PM, Nill Toulme said...
Hey Pete, we're going through blog withdrawal here. What's up down under?
Nill
~~
www.toulme.net
At 2:39 PM, Brian said...
I'm freaking out, too. I mean, I know he has a kid and all but come on, we're dying here!
I just got my 4800 today and am printing out my first tests. Very happy. Thanks again, Pete, for taking the fear out of making this purchase.
Now get back to the blog - we need more info!
At 5:12 PM, Pete Walsh said...
sorry guys! I'm onto it! I can't even remember what I did yesterday... Oh, now I remember - drank way too much coffee, mounted some B&W 4800 prints from the last week and dropped them off into stores in town. See how they go!
Tonight I'm working at the opening of the Canon/AIPP 2005 Travelling Exhibition in town. Lots of beautiful images, I viewed them yesterday, the bulk of which look to have been heavily worked over in the digital darkroom. I'm not a member of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) so didn't get an invite - I'll be running drinks and observing in stealth mode :)
At 5:12 PM, Pete Walsh said...
Scott thanks for the link, will check out their profile
At 5:17 PM, andrew said...
Pete, assuming I make it up to the Biennale, where will I be able to see some of your 4800 prints?
At 5:26 PM, Pete Walsh said...
In the Pantechnicon Gallery. At the moment they're ready to frame matted prints on Archival matte, but mid/late next week they'll be on Photo rag. Hopefully next week I'll have some large B&W hung at the Pantech too - waiting for the rag profile.
In the Info Centre there's color stuff (on Archival Matte) from both the 4800 and 2100, I don't know if anyone could pick which was which.
At 5:28 PM, Pete Walsh said...
I should add, some of the pics are semi cheesy IMO, but... cheese sells! :)
At 9:51 PM, andrew said...
Pfft! Your cheese has to be infinitely better than my nothing at all. Shadowed by my good lady's photographic abilities, I restrict myself to providing her technology, workflow and printing.
At 12:06 AM, stephen best said...
Pete,
I just discovered the Custom Paper Setup (under Media Adjustment) in the LFP Remote Panel. This enables you to model reference media for new papers, then fine tune the results for thickness, feed etc. These values can then be used in Paper Configuration for each paper you use. The nice thing is that you can change the density there as well. (For example Hahn. Photo Rag looks like it needs to be pulled back a bit.) After you've got the ink loading right then you can get your profile made. The level of control here is impressive.
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