First test
PRICE: £29.95 25 SHEETS A4
PERMAJET.COM
PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315 PermaJet’s FB Gold Silk 315 is an inkjet paper beloved by photographers. This year, PermaJet introduced an updated version with a smoother gloss, while retaining the creamy smoothness of a baryta paper
ABOVE Twilight over London’s City Hall shot fromTower Bridge showed a full tonal range, from the spotlight on the bridge and brightly lit Shard to deep shadows in the buildings. FB Gold Silk managed to show detail in both areas LEFT PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315 showed itself a fine performer, with its spot-on rendition of my test print, delivering spot-on colours and a healthy amount of contrast
I have always been a fan of PermaJet’s FB Gold Silk 315 finish, and to hear it had been improved was great news. The fact the newmaterial is available in roll widths up to 60in won’t mean a thing to enthusiast photographers, but an improved coating and smoother finish will definitely resonate with those already familiar with it. Even better news for existing users is that you can continue using ICC profiles for the previous paper. The new FB Gold Silk 315’s surface finish is velvety smooth and there’s more of sheen compared with the older paper. Holding it obliquely to a light reveals this clearly, but viewed from front-on in normal viewing, there’s no issue with glare or reflection, so suits exhibition use. Its hefty 315gsm base is creamy white, so even though optical brightening agents have been used, the effect is of a natural-looking paper (not too white) that is reminiscent of traditional wet darkroom fibre-based papers. The new smooth gloss layer is coated on a true barium sulphate, or baryta, fibre base. Bartya is used to give deep, velvety blacks and creamy midtones and highlights. I had an existing profile for my Epson SC-P800 with Epson inks and the old material, but for comparison’s sake made a new one anyway using a X-Rite i1 Studio kit. The test prints shown here are made with the new custom profile. I also printed the test image with the old profile, and the two prints looked the same, so Permajet’s claim that existing FB Gold Silk profiles can be used is justified. I made prints from a range of images, including a selection I always use for paper tests. Overall performance was very impressive, giving bold colour and monochrome prints. The colour images looked vibrant, but not excessively so, and the primary colours showed plenty of solidity and depth, with more subtle hues reproduced nicely. Both on the steampunk portrait shot and the London night scene, detail was visible even in the areas of blackness on the
PROS Beautifully suited to both colour and monochrome work, delivers bold results, show off your best work to great effect and comes strongly recommended. It’s ideal for distinction applications, exhibitions and your portfolio. Without doubt, it will Verdict Working out at £1.20 for a sheet of A4 and double that for anA3 sheet, you’re not going to use PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315 for your family snapshots, but you’re going to keep it in reserve for prints when you want tomake an impression.
RIGHT This Icelandic
SPECS › Prices and availability A4 25
glacier archway processed well in black & white and showed a wide tonal range. This image was admirably dealt with by PermaJet’s new paper
screen image and this was maintained on the final FB Gold Silk print. That ability for revealing details in areas of heavy shadows was also shown on my mono test prints. Highlights and midtones looked great onmy fully toned black &white images, but on images where I had pushed up the contrast to compress the midtones for a more graphic effect, that impact was retained by the paper, too. In short, this updated PermaJet is going to fulfil your needs very capably indeed. WC sheets £29.95,A3 25 sheets £59.95,A3+ 25 sheets £78.95, A2 25 sheets £117.95, 24in x 15m £140.95, 44in x 15m£257.95, 60in x 15m£349.96 › Price £1.20A4 sheet › Weight 315gsm › Thickness 0.31mm › Whiteness 101 › Coatings Single-sided, acid-free smooth baryta paper › Optical brightening agents Yes › Contact permajet.com
LEFT This is a contrasty scene and the Raw was processed to maintain that contrast, but the on-screen image showed good shadow detail in the blackness and FB Gold Silk reproduced that nicely, too
lovely surface CONS Nothing
Issue 77 | Photography News 29
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