Fujicolor Crystal Archive Digital Pearl vs. Kodak Endura Metallic

So who here has had the pleasure of using both of these papers? I just tried

the latter recently, with great success, and just when I thought things could

not get better I learned Fuji released a competing product this summer.

Hi Emre......I have used both..although I prefer the Endura over the Pearl for the moment. I suppose that although the Pearl has only been on the market a short time...I will no doubt use it again depending on what end use I have in mind. The Endura I use for Exhibition work, although you must take care not to leave the print exposed to air conditioning as this effects the finish on it. To my surprise I left some prints in an air conditioned room and come back the following day to find a 'stain' on the paper surface when held at a certain angle to the light. As yet I have not had the some problem with the Pearl...but then again I haven't left it in the some environment as I did with the Endura.

 

Artur

Hey Emre, just had my first experiences with Pearl, never tried Endura.<p> What I liked about Pearl was that the surface isn't like a glossy surface or like the super glossy polyester base of the old Cibachrome and Duraflex/Fujiflex/trans prints. Yet it is a very efficient reflector of the color and tonal range of the finished image. Hence, saturation and dynamic range are much more present and visible, even in a brightly lit gallery and displayed under glass. The image below shows a framed 20x30 print on Pearl at left... the golden one. And that's another nice thing about that paper, it lets that image look "gold" not "yellow".<p> It has a very slightly diffused almost burnished surface quality that is really nice, and it has a much heavier paper base that other Crystal Achive papers from Fuji, which makes hinge mounting so much easier and confidence inspiring. The prints lay very flay under a mat... no rippling, no free adhesive cold mounting required (sign on the verso). They are much easier to handle pre framing. Print with a wide border and be careful of the surface... it's pretty delicate until framed and glazed.<p><div></div>

Thanks for the detailed notes. IF anyone else is interested in taking the jump, here is a list of labs I found that currently offer this paper:

 

http://www.westcoastimaging.com

 

http://www.prodpi.com

 

http://www.elcocolor.com

 

http://www.myphotopipe.com

 

P.S. Congratulations on the exhibition, Tom. The Endura is also golden in the yellows. Using it gave me the same exhilarating feeling as shooting chromes did for the first time.

I use that bottom lab that you linked. Their physical plant is here in Atlanta, and I've known the guy who runs the RA4 processor for over 20 years. I use their print "as is" service and get perfect prints on the first hit... t <p>(Thanks Emre. That's just the first of three rooms... almost 30 prints. We hit the break even point in about 3 days. Yeah!)