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The Great Paper Chase - The St Cuthbert'sMill Paper Range - part 2 of 1 2 3 4

by Mike McNamee Published 02/02/2015

Longevity
Wilhelm Imaging Research has tested 'Somerset Velvet for Epson', an American distribution at 255gsm. This had an fade resistance as indicated in the table (in years).

Metamerism
This was measured in the usual way. The values recorded are slightly higher than peer materials at between 3.4 and 3.9 (ΔE₀₀ D65-Tungsten A on 50% grey). The figures do not ring any alarm bells.

Colour Audits
All six surfaces are limited by their Dmax. Only Photo Satin 300 creeps below 20% luminance value for the deepest shadow. This increases the overall error statistics with the luminance and saturation (chroma) channels dominating the resulting values. This is also reflected in the data for the HiGAM patch set where the prints struggle to hold saturation and density. They average between 3.4% and 4.5% too light. The major fall-off is in the darker tones. On average the gamuts of the media are around 79% of the equivalent Epson Signature Worthy papers except for the Photo Satin 300 which makes 93.5% of the Epson mark. For completeness we have tabulated all the data.

Commentary
Somerset Enhanced Satin, Velvet and Textured 225gsm The papers have the same base but different surface finishes. The Satin is the most suitable for photography and digital art with a reasonably smooth finish and good edge retention. The neutrals are slightly warm lifting almost 2 1/2 points towards cream as compared with the base tone which is 1/2 a point cool.

The gamut volumes of all three papers are very similar and the HiGAM plots almost overlap. The gamuts are all a little under 79% of say, Signature Worthy (Cold and Hot Pressed Bright and Natural). This reduced gamut might be a reflection of the 'soft' finish of the papers and their ink absorption. The macro image shows edge bleeding around deeper toned solid blocks of colour. This bleed was prevalent in both the Velvet and Textured surfaces. In the centre of the image is a blemish of which three were found, one on the Velvet and two on the Textured surfaces.

Overall then, the Velvet and Textured options are best reserved for the reproduction of watercolours, or images with a watercolour feel to them. Although it is light, the Satin 225 could be used for photographic images.

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1st Published 02/02/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:59:19

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