Paper & Ink

Ink Press Paper announced two emerging partnerships that will broaden the scope of premium papers distributed by this company, alongside their own branded products. In conjunction with Sihl, they introduced Pro Luster, Pro Gloss, and Luster DUO, each of which is color-fast, instant drying, and waterproof. And together with Monadnock (under the Ink Press label), they brought out Monadnock Rag all-cotton media in 200 and 300 gsm weights, warm and cool tone, double-sided. They also showed their own branded Fiber Gloss 250 gsm, 12 mil, alpha-cellulose, microporous coated paper.

Ink Press Monadnock Rag

InteliCoat Technologies introduced Magic Total-Photo M (roll sizes) for use with pigment and dye printers. The ultra-smooth matte surface, combined with high ink saturation, provides a rich density that yields photo-realistic images.

Media Street expanded the Niagara bulk-ink system. Niagara IV is for do-it-yourselfers, sets up in a half hour, and is suitable with most desktop Epson and Canon printers; Niagara V takes under 10 minutes to set up and is pre-filled for popular Epson printers; and Niagara VI is aimed at continuous-refill cartridge users—open a plug, pour in ink, re-plug, and print. The strategy behind it all is considerable cost savings over OEM inks. Inks are pigment- and dye-based for the respective printers. And interestingly, the system is even available for the new Epson R260 and R380—so I’ll be looking into this one with a vengeance. Also new are the GQ2 black/gray inksets for pigment printers, delivering full-tone black and white prints.

Media Street Niagara

Moab by Legion Paper, besides announcing that Moab Paper Company and Legion Paper have joined forces, noted that the merged entity is maintaining the flagship papers originally generated by each company, namely Somerset Texture and Entrada Rag, but everything else is new, among them Colorado Fiber. This paper is lighter than competitive papers to make it compatible with all desktop printers. It is also said to be the brightest white F-type paper on the market for the widest color gamut among fiber-based papers, and is available in gloss and satin.

Moab Colorado Fiber

Premier Imaging demonstrated Eco Elegance, an embellishing gel that is used to lend a special quality to any print, and I must say, the results are impressive! Made from the same material as Eco Print Shield, this non-yellowing gel comes in clear and white and can be mixed with acrylic paints to make any color. It truly imbues any photograph, especially giclée prints, with a painterly quality. Also new is acid-free Hi-Gloss Canvas, which is natural white with a medium texture, and Gloss/Matte Duo Photo Paper, a dual-sided paper with a difference: glossy on one side, matte on the other. Also announced was Wilhelm Imaging Research certification for PremierArt Velvet Fine Art and Watercolor Art papers, with and without PremierArt Print Shield finishing spray, using Epson K3 ink.

Additional new product announcements were made by Prepress Supply, which introduced new High-Gloss Water-Resistant Artist Canvas in rolls; Royal Marketing, which announced distribution of China Lucky Film digital media (as well as film products); and Xerox showed off its line-up, which includes magnetic media.

Now for something a bit different. Imation exhibited the new Inkjet Printable Media with AquaGuard technology, available in CD, DVD, and BD-R formats. The Imation BD-R discs with the AquaGuard surface are the world’s first inkjet printable and water-resistant Blu-ray media. In a similar vein, KMP Media announced Kodak’s LightScribe CD-R and DVD discs for direct disc labeling. LightScribe technology enables users to burn a silkscreen-like high-contrast label.

Imation BD-R

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