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Anyone here familiar with PermaJet papers?

Stuart Richardson

Active member
They are the only paper that the main photo store here stocks, and they seem to have quite a broad line. I was wondering if people here had used them. My papers of choice are Innova FibaPrint and Crane Museo, so I am curious how they might compare. I bought a pack of A4 sized "Fibre Base Gloss", so I will give it a try, but I am curious to hear if anyone else has used them. The only other available papers here seem to be Ilford Galerie, which I know to be a fairly low-end paper (at least their Smooth Pearl, which I have used before), and Harmon, which I have heard decent things about, but have no experience with.

I will probably wind up ordering Innova from B&H or something if the PermaJet does not work out, but it is nice to be able to just walk into a store and buy something....
 

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Stuart, I have no experience with the PermaJet papers but I can say the Harmon is excellent. I use the Harmon Gloss FB Al which I prefer over the Innova. If they have the Harmon in the shop then definitely try it. I can send you some links to reviews if you are interested.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Thanks, I will check it out. The only problem was that the Harmon was 2900kr for 15 sheets...that's 20 bucks for 15 sheets (today anyway...last year it would have been 48 bucks for 15 sheets...the currency here is SCREWED). For the Ilford Galerie, I got 100 sheets for 3100kr, so it better be damn good.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
By the way, the PermaJet samples looked pretty good. I will compare to the Innova soon. It was slightly cheaper than the Harmon -- 3600kr for 25 sheets. One nice thing they have though...you can mail them a print of a test target and they will create a free custom ICC profile for you. Not bad...
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Well, I did a print test where I did the same image on Innova, Crane, PermaJet and Ilford Galerie with some interesting results.

The image I chose was black and white, and the results are similar to those I had experienced before. The Innova is the most neutral paper (at least the base paper looks most neutral to me). Crane is quite yellowish and warm, and Ilford is quite similar to Innova -- rather neutral. Though it is warm compared to the others, the Crane looks most like a fiber print -- the coloration of the blacks is quite similar to Ilford Multigrade Fiber. It is the most pleasing paper for black and white inkjet prints that I have yet found. It compares well with a real fiber print, though still is not quite there.
Innova is very nice as well, and more neutral. It is the best paper I have found for color inkjet prints. The Ilford is similar, but like RC paper -- the image is very nice, but the paper does not have a particularly nice quality to it -- it is great for regular prints, but for "exhibition quality", the fiber based papers have a nicer look and feel overall. They exude more quality.

So where does the PermaJet fit in all this? Well, it did quite well. Using their stock profile for the 3800, it produced a very nice print. The tone is significantly cooler than the other papers, though of course it does not seem blue when viewed on its own -- only in comparison. It is a nice fiber base and has good paper quality. If you like Hahnemuhle's Fine Art Pearl, another cool paper, you will like PermaJet quite a bit.

I will try the Harmon next...
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
P.S. The Harmon tastes like photography!
I just tried the Harman today and you are completely right. It looks just like a fiber print (at least the paper base). They got the gloss right, which is something that even the best of the other brands did not quite get. It is really nice!
 

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Glad you liked it Stuart and thanks for all the info on the Permajet and other papers.
 
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