Fuji Crystal Archive Pearl paper

The chain I work for is going to be trialing the new Crystal Archive Pearl paper in certain stores. Unfortunately the one I am at is not one of them.

This Pearl paper sounds very good, said to have a much longer archival rating and a greater dynamic range. What I'm not sure of is the "pearl" effect. Has anyone used this, is it an "ordinary" paper suitable for printing a wide range of subjects, or is it some sort of metalic novelty paper?

There are many inkjet papers with a "pearl" name. In general it's something like a "luster" or "semigloss" surface.
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Eric Chan
http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/photos/
http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/index.html

I think the name "pearl" is rather misleading as this normally means semi-gloss in blck and white papers. However the DPII Pearl paper was described as giving a look like Cibachrome which is obviously very high gloss. Fujifilm already make Crystal Archive paper in gloss and lustre, the latter having a semi-gloss textured surface.

Here is a Fujifilm link: http://www.fujifilm.ua/source/products/Pearl (AF3-0220E).pdf

I'd still be interested to hear from anyone who has used this paper.

Fuji Frontier lab's can use four differant types of paper, Gloss, Matt, Luster, and Flex. The fisrt three are what they are, the last Flex, is a very high gloss plastic type paper only in 8inch and 20inch, nice for some things but hard to handel. Finger prints, dust, marks, you name it, should wear gloves when handeling. Fuji may have differant names for their product in differant parts of the world and might have products that are not in some parts of the world. the four I have listed are in Australia, and are for the use in Frontier lab not ink jets. If thats of any use to the OP. I use three of the four, gloss, luster, and flex. I find the matt is to flat and dull looking.

I found that DS Colour Labs offer this new Pearl paper so I ordered a few prints on it to see what it is like. It is neither Crystal Archive Glossy, Lustre or Matt nor Fujiflex but a new silver halide paper.

This is the information they have about it:

New Fuji Pearl Paper

Commercial photographers will find the lustrous, rich textural quality of PEARL Paper particularly beneficial in situations where subject matter involves highly saturated colors, fabrics or metallic objects. Its high D-max, purer whiteness and vibrant color reproduction deliver a wide tonal range, sharp text quality and high color saturation and allow commercial photographers to deliver stunning prints that capture viewer attention.

PEARL Paper features a thick base and high stiffness to enhance durability, rendering it ideal for portrait photography. Portrait photographers will also appreciate the capability of PEARL Paper to accurately reproduce a wide range of skin tones while adding a distinctive look to add value to wedding packages and other creative opportunities.

Technology Advancements

The introduction of PEARL Paper represents the latest application of Fujifilm's advanced thin-layer coating manufacturing technology. PEARL Paper is coated with the latest generation of Fujicolor Crystal Archive digital emulsion technologies.

PEARL Paper also incorporates the following technologies:

• Fujifilm Pearl Technology: PEARL Paper contains highly specialized pearl mica pigments that produce silver-white and metallic reflectance effects through an interplay of transparency, refraction, coating and multiple reflections. Fujifilm pearl technology does not impede the physical properties of the paper, such as paper cutting.
• X-Coupler Technology: PEARL Paper incorporates the latest cyan coupler known as X-Coupler Technology, as seen in Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type C, that enables the paper to reproduce subtle shades of green and the most vibrant shades of blues and red.
• NLS (New Low Stain Spectral-Sensitizer) Technology and ARR (Advanced Resistance-to-Radiation) Technology: Also seen in Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type C, NLS and ARR technologies enable pure whites and distinct highlights and suppress color paper fogging caused by ambient radiation, ensuring that unexposed PEARL Paper retains its whiteness.

I've tried DSCL's Fuji Archival Pearl paper. I usually use their Fuji DP Pro II 'lustre' paper, which having spoken with them, I've discovered is also archival, weblink is http://business.fujifilm.co.uk/photofinishing/photo-finishing-products/paper-and-chemicals/fujicolor-crystal-archive-professional-type-mdp

Anyway, the Pearl looks great for Black and whites, gives it lovely metallic look. I also really like it for some of my landscapes, it does bring out the colours. The problem is though that you get double reflection when behind glass - the glass gives you a reflection and so does the metallic / glossy print. With lustre you don't get a reflection off the print. Also, although the impact is stronger, I personally prefer the softer effect of the lustre paper. Plus lustre is cheaper! So I decided to stay with that.