written by Anno Huidekoper
published on 02 February 2012

Review Ilford Gold Fibre Silk met Epson 4900

Ilford Gold Fibre Silk is a so-called digital baryta paper and is strongly similar to the classic paper in the darkroom. If you smell well, you can even observe the characteristic baryta smell! This Ilford paper belongs to the Ilford Galerie series. The printer used for the test of this Ilford Fibre Silk Gold is the Epson 4900. This is a professional A2 printer using pigmented inks.

Specifications Ilford Gold Fibre Silk

Weight: 310 grams
Available sizes: A4, A3+, A2 and 2 sizes role
Used ICC color profile: of Ilford's website
Test printer: Epson 4900
Test mode: see FAQ
Recommended retail price, 01-01-2012: NL € 20.90 per 10 sheets A4 size

 Ilford Golden Silk productfoto

What is different compared to other Ilford Galerie papers?
  • Ilford Smooth Gloss is whiter and shines stronger
  • Ilford Smooth Pearl is whiter and has a surface strongly resembling the known Luster photo paper
  • Ilford Smooth Lustre Duo is whiter and is printable on both sides
 Ilford Galerie papier

What are the differences compared to other digital baryta papers?
  • Epson offers the Epson Traditional Photopaper. This paper is very white and has a visible structure
  • Harman has the Gloss FB AI Warmtone photo paper. This digital photopaper shines stronger than the Ilford paper and the color tilts more towards crème
  • Innova offers a number of papers, from nearly white to crème. The surface of these papers has more structure than Ilford's.

 

 fotopapier

 ICC profile and color space
The test machine, an Epson 4900, is known for its very large color space. A special ICC color profile, designed for this printer and this Ilford paper, is used for the test and is taken from the website of Ilford. ICC profiles for many printers can be downloaded from this site. When downloading, you must be careful that you put the ICC profile in the correct folder. If you do not, the printer program cannot find it. The color space is 911,064. This is big, and also bigger than what you can get from the Canon PIXMA PRO-1 on this Ilford paper. Epson 4900 Ilford Golden Silk

Test result color on Ilford Gold Fibre Silk 310
The appearance of different colors is very true to life with the Epson 4900. The blue looks bright and the dark brown is sufficiently dark. The grayscale has the right coverage and the black is deep. The color display is better with the Epson 4900 than with a Canon PIXMA PRO-1.

testbestand printertest Epson 4900 opIlford Gold Fibre

Test result black white on Ilford Gold Fibre Silk 
The different shades of gray in the default setting are displayed just a bit warmly. You could say that the cold or neutrality has been taken off without moving directly to sepia. The black is very powerful and neutral in tone. If you use the Advanced Black and White Mode of Epson, you can freely play with the neutrality of the print.    

testbestand printertest Epson 4900 op Ilford Gold Fibre zw

Shine and surface of Ilford Gold Fibre Silk 310 grams photo paper

The Ilford Gold Fibre Silk has a very soft gloss with little structure. The paper is thick, feels strong and is completely flat in the printer. Prints of greasy fingers are not quickly seen but the surface is very fragile. The color of the paper can be described as "warm white". Black and white prints get a classic look.

'Bronzing' and 'gloss differentials' are both pretty low when you use an Epson 4900.

 Ilford Gold Epsn 4900 bronzing 0065

When you use a Canon PIXMA PRO-1 'gloss differential' and 'bronzing' is a tad higher.

 Ilford Gold Canon PRO 1 bronzing 0063

Conclusion

Ilford Golden Silk productfoto

Pro

  • Very good color display when using an Epson 4900 and Ilford ICC color profile
  • High maximal Dmax
  • Classical appearance due to warm white color and warm gray tones of black and white prints 
  • Gloss differential and bronzing nearly absent
  • Good flatness in printer

 Con    

  • Vulnerable surface
  • More expensive than standard photo paper

Results on the Ilford Gold Fibre Silk look stunning. The color display, when using an Epson 4900 and a specific ICC color profile, is excellent and the color range is large. Black and white pictures have a more classic look, perhaps due to the soft glow and color tone. Both the paper and the gray tones have some warm tones. The surface is fragile though and the paper is more expensive than plain photo paper. But you will give your photo something extra when you print on Ilford Gold Fibre Silk.

Website importer: www.ilford.com

 

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