Author: Nicolai Grossman

Fuji press release:

Fuji Hunt’s dedicated R&D division has long been developing methods to bring digital printing media to a par with traditional papers. Now, a new trio of especially smooth finishes have passed the quality barrier and represent the very best materials on which imagery of all types can be printed.

Fuji Hunt’s range of FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum inkjet media, which has already proven extremely popular with users seeking a higher than average result, especially when used for display and exhibition work in both black-and-white and colour, has been extended with three additional products: Fine Art Museum Baryt paper; Fine Art Museum Smooth RAG paper; and HD White Cotton Canvas.

Baryt, or baryta, photographic paper has long been recognised for its superior smooth finish. Traditionally, the baryta sizing used on this paper overcomes any fibrous effect by filling the pores of the paper via a barium sulphate suspension, the material then being calendered to produce an exceptionally smooth surface. This gives images printed on it a high level of sharpness, maximum tonal range and separation, while also avoiding contamination by any impurities in the paper base.

Creating baryt paper is an extremely specialist process, and it is usually only used for the best hand finished fine art printing. However, with FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Baryt paper, Fuji Hunt has launched a unique inkjet 300gsm version which incorporates all the benefits of a silver halide baryt paper, and enables a superb level of reproduction or original imaging to be achieved across a wide range of applications.

In fact, the density rating (d-max) of the product is higher than that of traditional silver halide baryt paper, enabling images to be created which exhaustive testings and close examination have shown to be of a higher grade than pure silver halide.

Initially, FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Baryt paper is being supplied in roll form in sizes to fit all the FUJIFILM/EPSON Stylus Pro printers, with cut sheet form in sizes up to A3+ (329x483mm, 13x19ins) due in the autumn.

The current Fujifilm Fine Art 300gsm Photo Rag paper is a mould-made fine art paper with special matt coating which has proven a leading medium for high quality fine art reproductions. Now, the company is introducing a unique smooth version called, appropriately, FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Smooth RAG paper.

The unique structure of this material ensures not only that beautifully finished and highly contrasted images will result, but also that the material will stay flat, without the curling which often faces users of smooth heavyweight media.

Canvas materials have long been popular for printing reproductions of works of art and for showing fine art photographic work to its best. So it is that Fuji Hunt is completing the new smooth trio with a high-density 400gsm brilliant white canvas called FUJIFILM HD White Cotton Canvas.

This specially coated pure cotton canvas brings a vitality to images printed on it which was not previously possible on authentic canvas materials. Its brilliant white finish enables bright, vivid colours to be shown as fresh as newly painted. When used for black-and-white prints and reproductions, this product comes into its own as it produces maximum contrast images with the full gamut of subtle mid tones and shades.

Altogether, these new media take the field of inkjet printing to a new level of excellence and authenticity not previously possible, and are expected to make a strong impact on its markets.

For full details of the FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum media contact Greg Jackson at Fuji Hunt Digital Solutions by telephone: 02476 455 575, email: gjackson@fujhunt.com or visit www.fujihunt.com

Via PhotographyBLOG