Harman Matt FB

[barry_h]

Has anyone tried this paper. I heard some good reviews however I tried a test

pack on my R2400 and the B&W print with black clouds and shadows was awful, the

dark areas were bloked up with the black ink sitting on the surface. I tried

the same print on Permajet Matt Plus paper and that was fine with deep blacks

and no surface ink. Looks like this paper cannot cope with heavy ink output.

Also tried a colour print this was OK but rather flat muted colours compared

with Matt Plus. Therefore I am very dissappointed with this paper. Anyone else

had these problems. Also I changed the Matt Black to Photo Black and printed on

Innova Ultra smooth gloss. This has a smooth semi gloss surface. The B&W print

was very good with deep blacks the only problem was light gold colour in the

light clouds when looked at a low angle. I like this paper the surface I prefer

to the FibrePrint White Gloss which I find distracting with shiny pebbled

surface.

[stephenwood]

I received a sample of this paper at the View Camera convention in KY and my first impressions on the surface texture were very positive. I love the matte surface and it doesn't have as much tooth as the Epson archival matte (or whatever they're calling it now.)

 

I did tests on the samples using an Epson 7800 and matte ink in both color and b/w. I used the recommended settings of watercolor paper and was a little disappointed when it came out of the printer. The images seemed a little flat. I was going to give up but after a dry-down, they looked much better. Shadow detail was good and colors popped off the paper. Still a little more experimenting to do but I just ordered a roll of it for more tests.

 

Also try the warmtone for b/w. Got a full pack of that and it's not as warm as I would like but worth a try maybe.

[underexpos]

In full disclosure I have been working off and on with Harman on the development of this

paper for over a year. They sent us rolls from the factory in England for real world testing

when they felt they got something good before. We built our own profiles and use a RIP for

output using MATTE inks on the Epson 9800. That all said I understand you concern. When

I first started with this paper I had the same gut reaction. Yes the paper does have a low

threshold for black ink or heavy inked areas. But than we worked in the profile and ink

limits and the colors just popped. Try changing your paper setting around, this will

change the amount of ink that the printer is putting down in certain areas of tone. The

advanced B&W settings on the new Epsons work great with this paper. You can pull back

the black point if needed without hurting other tones. Also try downloading the profiles

from Harman, it helps. The paper is a touch tricky but well worth it when you get it. We

are now testing the Glossy. For those that loved Fiber Gallery Glossy in the darkroom, this

feels like the same stuff but for an inkjet machine. Both the color and B&W are stunning.

Unlike anything I have seen. As I too have used the Innova and have seen the Bronzing that

you are talking about. That is why I don't use it. They almost got it. Maybe next time. If

you are still having issue you can contact me directly. I'd love to help you out if I can, the

Matte can be a very beautiful paper.

[jrsmith]

Barry

 

I have used the Harman FB Matt extensively, both on an HP 8750 with the Vivera photo-grey inkset and on my Epson R2400 like yours. I have had excellent results using the Epson Advanced B/W mode and the recommended paper setting of Watercolor Radiant White. In fact, I found shadow detail and the dark areas to be better than with Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. However, like you I did find the prints look a little "flat" - certainly the Hahnemuhle is more punchy. One issue I do have with the Harman paper is that the surface is very delicate and (too) easily marked, but this is true of very many other matt papers too.

 

Best regards

 

John