Re: Question about Masa paper
Thanks, Loris... so it looks like what I've got is the same thing you've got, and also the same as what's currently available as "Masa" from the Daniel Smith catalog, since it's the identical description. I'm surprised the description doesn't include the twosidedness of it. I've printed gum on both sides; the nappy side doesn't work very well because it speckles and would require additional size to print without speckling. It is also difficult to coat smoothly, as the emulsion catches in the nap and wants to stay where it was put initially rather than brushing out smooth. The smooth side coats beautifully and prints quite well, but it's very slow. Both sides are slow, but I assumed the nappy side was slow because it soaks up a lot more emulsion so the coating is thicker, but even the smooth side, which uses much less emulsion, is slow, at least 4x the exposure required for my usual Arches paper. Also, since the paper is thin, it tends to dry crinkled, and would probably need to be flattened in a press. It's kind of like printing gum on typing paper; you can do it, but why would you. Two reasons why you might: it dries quick as a wink, and the smooth side is very smooth and coats nicely. It's hard to find a really smooth surface that's also easy to coat. These are just quick-and-dirty test prints and not calibrated for the best exposure, but they do show the relative printing qualities of the two sides of the paper. http://www.pacifier.com/~kthayer/html/Masa.html An even thinner Japanese paper with amazing wet strength is silk tissue, also available from the Daniel Smith catalog. Katharine You don't say which On Jan 22, 2007, at 9:49 PM, Loris Medici wrote: Katharine,
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