1) Does Paperandinks.com offer samples of the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss to customers, including those based abroad?

Paperandinks.com does have sample sheets available for purchase, but does not offer sample sheets to customers for free. We have done so in the past on the basis of goodwill for the customer to see the quality of the paper. However the rather inconsiderate actions taken by some members of the public which as abused the trust and goodwill of Paperandinks.com has caused us to reconsider this approach. Email takes time to reply and respond, and it is something members of Paperandinks.com or Chaudigital do not have, due to the sheer scale of emails sent and technicality of each enquiry covered. The email address of Paperandinks.com is used purely for the servicing the progress of orders only and providing small levels of product information, and is meant to be a clear line of communication with the customer on this basis. Paperandinks.com would like to make it clear we do not wish any of our email addresses published for purposes other than for order servicing, and would like it to be maintained that way. However enquiries regarding the sale of the paper abroad are accepted.

2) Does Paperandinks.com sell Da Vinci Fibre Gloss to those based abroad?

Paperandinks.com is a UK-based website catering specifically only for the UK market at the moment, but can supply overseas customers. It used to supply to other countries, but due to delivery issues regarding volumetric weight costs for overseas customers and VAT-related system implementation issues, Paperandinks.com have been unable to implement a reliable web ordering system for worldwide delivery. Therefore all overseas orders are not currently available online, but only via telephone (International +44 207 833 8384). Paperandinks will accept overseas orders this way until our new system for accepting worldwide online orders is completed.

3) Will the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss be sold abroad, especially the US?

Da Vinci Fibre Gloss is a UK specific product at the moment. However efforts are currently being made to ensure supplies will reach all interested parties worldwide including the US and Europe. As a result of the demand for the new paper, new sales and marketing structures are being set up at Chaudigital Imaging Group/Da Vinci Fine Art Papers, and various discussions/meetings to be made with all relevant parties. As it stands all decisions relating to sales and marketing are still under negotiation and are not available for comment.

4) Is the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss available in sample packs?

The Da Vinci Fibre Gloss is now available for purchase as a test sample pack for customers here. It comes in a pack of 10 A4 test sheets. Due to the demand and number of sample packs available from initial production, Paperandinks.com will only able to offer one sample pack per customer order.

5) Will the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss be available in rolls?

Yes, the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss will soon be available in rolls. Roll sizes will be 17", 24", 36" & 44" and will be all be at least 15M long. Pricing and online ordering (for the UK) will be released as soon as they are available.

6) What is the longevity/lightfastness of the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss?

The Da Vinci Fibre Gloss is made from acid-free alpha-cellulose paper, which is an extremely archival material. The lightfastness of the paper is expected to be similar to traditional darkroom papers. But unlike traditional fibre papers where the print is put into contact with various acidic chemicals such as developers, fixers or stop-baths which affect the longevity of the print, the advantages of the Fibre Gloss are unparalleled and expected to last even longer. Due to the product being so new to the market, longevity results for Fibre Gloss are still being tested at the time of writing.

7) What is the best ink to use on the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss? Is it compatible with dye inks?

The Da Vinci Fibre Gloss is compatible with all major brands of dye or pigment ink. However from tests conducted by Chaudigital, Epson K3 inks were found to be the most compatible with the Fibre Gloss paper. Prints printed with Epson Ultrachrome™ K3 offered the best levels of tonality and neutrality, as well as lacking bronzing and metarism issues which affect the quality of the look of the print. If prints do bronze, it is usually down to the quality of the ink, and not the paper although the two are sometimes closely related. If that is the case reduce the dpi to the lowest setting - as high dpi rates cause bronzing on even the best paper. It is from Chaudigital's experience that only the Epson K3 inks gave the most photographically satisfying results on the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss.

8) Can black & white images be printed with a colour profile?

Profiles are by their nature, linearised control files for the printer to output images. Since all the colours are controlled ie. highlight, midtone and shadow linearised, black and white output is possible by a colour profile. For the best results, customised profiles should be used.

9) I use the Epson R800/R1800 printer. How can I print on the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss?

It is recommended for such users to select Epson Premium Glossy media and switch their Gloss Optimiser on when printing on the Fibre Gloss in such cases. The Gloss Optimiser helps reduce any pronounced bronzing issues on the print caused by these inks.

10) What inks/paper settings should I use with the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss?

If you are using Epson Ultrachrome inks you should use the Photo Black with Premium Glossy/Semigloss setting. The dpi should be set to 720dpi/1440dpi for best results.

11) What is the DMax rating of the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss?

The DMax rating of the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss is officially around 2.7. The published figure of 2.2 on the Paperandinks website was the result of an earlier test based on a slightly less darker image. This figure will be revised on the site on its next update.

12) Who developed the Da Vinci Fibre Gloss?

The Da Vinci Fibre Gloss was developed over a period of 2 years by Danny Chau of Chaudigital Imaging Group. Danny has over 20 years of experience in black and white traditional fibre-based printing, and is considered one of the UK's top black and white and digital imaging specialists. Regularly making speeches at imaging seminars and printing for some of the top photographers, museums, galleries and clients, including celebrities such as Robbie Williams, the late Spike Milligan, and members of The British Royal Family, Danny has developed a wealth of expertise the best imaging can offer. By applying his knowledge of print finishing to the paper, Danny Chau has created a truly exceptional paper that rivals traditional methods of quality printing. Or as the news editor of Amateur Photographer magazine Chris Cheeseman put it  'Never before has the lab at our magazine got so excited about such a product'.

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