15/08/07
Paper polls high at Focus - The new range of Harman Photo photographic inkjet
papers has been rated very highly by photographers attending the Focus on
Imaging exhibition this February
Amongst the glowing statistics, 85 percent of the hundreds of photographers
questioned in the survey said that on the strength of their own testing, they
intend to purchase the Harman Photo product in the future.
Howard Hopwood, marketing director at Harman technology commented: “The response
to the Harman Photo papers at Focus was exceptionally positive, and the survey
of those who took away a sample pack for testing has proven that there is a high
demand for a premium quality photographic inkjet range.”
“We established the Harman Photo products to fill a hole we strongly believed
existed for a high-end inkjet product with a genuine photographic heritage and
development background. The survey results prove this is the case, and hopefully
signal a bright future for the range.” He added.
74 percent of the respondents had already tested the product, and of those
respondents, 76 percent rated the overall feel of the paper as Very Good or
Excellent; something the manufacturer puts down to the Baryta layer incorporated
in the papers.
Howard Hopwood continued: “The Baryta layer helps to recreate the feel and
essence of a traditional photographic print, creating a smooth surface. We use
the same Baryta coated base for our Multigrade darkroom papers, so the inkjet
papers are effectively a hybrid between the traditional and digital photographic
processes.”
“The 310gsm weight also helps in this regard,” he continued, “but the feel of
the product isn’t the only facet that the Baryta enhances; it will have also
fuelled the high scores we received in terms of overall quality of prints, and
the sharpness of the printed images.”
Over 75 percent of those that had tested the paper said that the overall
sharpness of images printed on the Harman Photo Matt FB Mp paper was Very Good
or Excellent. 66 percent said that the paper was Very Good or Excellent in terms
of ease of use – which was another primary concern for Harman’s development
team.
Howard Hopwood explained: “Before we began development of the Harman Photo
range, one of our frustrations with existing premium products was their tendency
to curl both before and after printing.”
“As such, we invested in unique technology that ensures our product lies
completely flat before, during and after printing. Primarily, this makes the
media very usable during the printing process, but it also helps when finishing,
mounting and presenting the print.”
More generic information to emerge from the survey includes the fact that a
large majority of photographers use A4 sheets most regularly, whilst only 6.5
percent use rolls of inkjet media.
For more information on Harman Photo Inkjet papers, please visit the website.
http://www.harman-inkjet.com/home.asp
The SWPP 2008 Convention was an outstanding success,
we have 174 days to get ready for the 2009 convention - which starts on January 14, 2009
Photo Quote: Light is my inspiration, my paint and brush. It is as vital as the model herself. Profoundly significant, it caresses the essential superlative curves and lines. Light I acknowledge as the energy upon which all life on this planet depends. - Ruth Bernhard