Base Parameters
HiGamut Colour Test
FB Gold is a 315gsm baryta-coated paper with a very subtle silk finish and a near natural tone. The whiteness measurements gave a Fluorescence value of 3.1 and this slight OBA activity also showed in the UV booth. Visually it was identical to Gold Fibre Silk under UV light and the data were also directly comparable. The whiteness value is very high at 99.8% and base tone almost pure neutral with an a value of 0.08 and a b value of -0.85. The look of the paper is slightly creamy.
150
100
Colour testing
The gamut was good at 1,059,949 and this was confirmed with low errors in the HiGAM patch set and a close match of the extreme colours on the edge of the gamut. The metamerism was low at 1.1 (∆E₀₀ D65 to Tungsten A on the 50% grey patch). The Dmax was also good at 2.3. A like-for-like comparison with Ilford Gold Fibre Silk is both legitimate and important. This includes the use of the GF Silk workflow using the FB Gold paper to confirm that the icc profiles and workflows are absolutely interchangeable. The variations are no larger than those you might expect from, say, different batches of the same paper.
Monochrome testing
HiGamRef HiGam Print
Lab b
The base tone parameters and baryta coating provide a springboard for excellent colour statistics. They speak for themselves with a first-rate average error of just 1.76 and this was backed with even lower recordings in the greys, skin tones and the Macbeth swatch set.
50
-100 -80
-60
-40
-20
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
-50
-100 Lab a FB Gold displayed good colour accuracy right around the HiGAM patch set
This paper will be welcomed by the monochrome fraternity with its relatively low OBA activity and slightly warm base tone. We tested with the Epson ABW driver using 'Neutral' tone and 'Dark' along with a media setting of Premium SemiGloss Photo Paper. This dropped the 50% patch almost right on the target value (50.3% measured). The CII rose slightly to 1.77 with a spectacular Dmax of 2.6. The base tone colour drifted slightly but generally made a good match to the paper base, ie a slightly warm print. The greyscale linearity was almost dead flat, rising from a low of 2.13% to the paper white of 99%; it is difficult to image how this could be improved upon. Overall then the mono performance is as good as the colour performance.
"Overall then the mono performance is as good as the colour performance."
FB Gold created really nice-looking monochrome prints, backing up the good statistics.
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PJet FB SILK Ilford GFSilk Profile Weighted Component Errors
Patch Set
Avg ΔE00
MEDIAN
ΔL/w
ΔC/w
ΔH/w
All 216
2.19
2.08
0.89
-0.13
Fogra V3
3.00
2.87
1.68
0.66
CC 24
2.19
1.65
0.78
HiGAM
2.23
1.95
0.06
Skin Tones
1.40
1.51
Greys
1.40
1.16
Statistics
Weighted Component Errors
Patch Set
Avg ΔE00
0.29
All 216
1.61
1.49
0.28
Fogra V3
2.31
2.23
-0.33
0.19
CC 24
1.59
1.49
-0.27
0.41
HiGAM
1.98
1.66
-0.12
-1.12
-0.75
Skin Tones
1.02
0.99
0.50
0.31
0.31
Greys
1.38
1.39
MMcN4900_Ilord GFSilk310_PSgPP250_Qual#1PJet1SDA.xlsx
MEDIAN
GFS Profile
2.06
1.65
1,071,436
L
3.2
97.3
98.5
a
b
Fluorescence
1.19
Tint
2.08
Whiteness
Gamut Volume
Brightness
CII
Fluorescence
Dmax
Tint
Gamut Volume
Whiteness
CII
0.24
ΔC/w
ΔH/w
0.52
0.09
0.01
1.43
0.76
0.26
0.45
-0.17
-0.47
-0.93
-0.23
-0.54
-0.11
-0.69
-0.54
0.23
0.58
0.67
MMcN4900_Ilord GFSilk310_PSgPP250_Qual#1SDA.xlsx
Dmax
99.4
ΔL/w
0.13
-0.74
98.1
0.24
3.3
Brightness
Statistics
Ilford GFSilk
L
a
b
96.7
98.8
-0.07
0.15
PJet FB SILK Bespoke profile Statistics
Weighted Component Errors
Patch Set
Avg ΔE00
MEDIAN
ΔL/w
ΔC/w
ΔH/w
All 216
1.76
1.58
-0.16
0.05
-0.10
Fogra V3
2.45
2.47
0.85
0.90
0.12
CC 24
1.49
1.32
-0.43
-0.14
-0.66
HiGAM
1.97
1.63
-1.42
-0.47
-0.34
Skin Tones
1.32
1.28
-0.86
-0.45
-0.61
Greys
1.53
1.49
-0.41
0.25
0.22
MMcN4900_PjetGFS_PSgPPQual_SDA.xlsx
1.1
1,059,949
Brightness
2.3
Fluorescence
Gamut Volume
Tint
CII
Whiteness
Dmax
L
99.8
0.36
3.1
98.3
98.8
a
b
0.08
-0.85
UV light shows the similarity between FB Silk and Ilford Gold Fibre Silk
OVERALL The new paper is a perfect replacement for Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, news which will please the Ilford devotees who had been left high and dry – GFS had a strong following. The ease with which the user can start to use the new offering without any change in their workflow is a real bonus, anybody hoarding their stock of GFS (including the reviewer!) can breath more easily!
Imagemaker professional
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PAPERCHASE: Part 49