New Ilford Prestige: Gold Mono Silk

[briphoto]

Anyone have info on availability of this new paper? I saw nothing on the Ilford site.

[John E]

Interesting. I did find it on the Ilford site, via the search menu - http://www.ilford.com/en/products/photo-inkjet/galerie-prestige/gold-mono-silk/

However, doing a search on both B&H and Adorama returned no results. Maybe it's not yet available in the US? I'd be interested in trying it, although I've had good results with their Gold Fibre Silk.

John

[Ernst Dinkla]

They sent me a Prestige proof print package last week, I guess as a result of this thread but there was no Gold Mono Silk included. The papers that were included I had already samples of and measured them. Larger sheets this time so I can print them for evaluation. Still interested in the Gold Mono Silk samples though.

--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2012, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[bluesbock]

I just got a 24'' roll this morning so here are my feelings:
(printing with a HP Z3200)

-A little thinner than the gold silk, but almost feels a little like a real fb paper. "Reminiscent of darkroom prints" (cf ilford website) is maybe a little too much, but we're getting closer...
-It is indeed a little whiter (both in terms of colour and density).
-It is a lot smoother than the gold silk: no more pearl-ish surface (I don't know where the 'silk' side of the gold mono might be..).

I calibrated and profiled using Ilford's tips (preset: HP everyday pigment satin). After a few tests I ended up at 105 in both ink limit and gloss optimizer.
I printed a very dark/contrast B&W picture that looks pretty good. I compared it with the same picture on the Gold Silk. The differences are very few and very little.. The mono one is cooler and the paper white is indeed whiter, but apart from the surface texture, the two are very close. The mono seems to give less bronzing, but there is still a hard break between highlights and true whites under oblique light. It looks a little bit better when tweating the preset and pushing the amount of gloss optimizer.

Being thinner, I guess the mono have less curl problems. Anyway it warps (?) under huge ink amounts just like its older brother...

I am a big Gold printer (3000+ sqft over the past 2 years) and I like it despite its few flaws. In my case the mono may be a nice alternative to the Harman Gloss Baryta that I don't appreciate much..

(by the way colour pictures look great on it, too ..)

Due to its semi-glossy surface, protective sprays (I use Hahnemuhle's) seem longer to dry, but it works just the same.
Still a few tests to run before selling prints with confidence..

(sorry for my broken english, we don't know how to teach foreign languages here in france..)

regards,
simonvacheret.com

[Ernst Dinkla]

[quote author=bluesbock link=topic=70745.msg602385#msg602385 date=1361296693I
The mono seems to give less bronzing, but there is still a hard break between highlights and true whites under oblique light. It looks a little bit better when tweating the preset and pushing the amount of gloss optimizer

regards,
simonvacheret.com

[/quote]

Are you using gloss optimizer in economy mode or the full print page GO?

As far as I should judge someone's English, it is fine.


Ernst, op de lei getypt.

[Czornyj]

Finally I also received Gold Mono Silk samples. Contrary to my expectations I was able to print some color images on it, so I'm a bit dissapointed

To make a long story short - to my eye it looks like Harman Gloss Baryta without Baryta.
It's not as pink as Hahnemuehle Baryta FB, but with a slight trace of pink.