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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Hot Off the Press
Roland Debuts High-Performance
Photobase Gloss and Semi-Gloss Papers

TEXT BY ALICE B. MILLER

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PGP and PSP are both affordable medium-weight 8 mil papers. Sturdy and water-resistant, they have a microporous topcoat that gives them suitable gloss levels, excellent white points, and fast dry times.
Tom Hatchcock, president of Tom Hatchcock Photography in Deerpark, Texas, creates photocomposites and panoramic pictures of drill teams, senior portraits, ROTC, police and fire departments with Roland inkjet media. He does most of his printing in house on a Hi-Fi Jet Pro inkjet printer, an eight-color, 1400x1440 dpi photo-realistic piezo printer that he finds "ideal" for printing digital photographs.
Depending on the assignment, Hatchcock uses up to three different cameras: a Roundshot medium-format camera for panoramics, and either his Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro or MegaVision S2 digital back for composites and portraits.

© TOM HATCHCOCK "When I'm in the market for inkjet media, I try to find something with the look and feel of photographic paper," says Hatchcock. "The Roland Photobase Gloss Paper is the closest we've found so far. Other papers we've tried have either had problems drying or wouldn't give us a true photographic look and feel. With PGP, we get both."
The fast drying time allows Hatchcock to take the print right from the printer, package it, and ship it within a few minutes of printing. The paper's durability means fewer reprints because of mishandling in house or when it gets to the customer. In addition, typical reflections produced by the pigmented ink are much less noticeable with the PGP paper.
"Our clients have been impressed with the new paper," says Hatchcock. "They tell us how much more 'photographic' it feels."
Hatchcock claims PGP saves him almost 50 percent on the cost of producing digital images, while also enhancing the product. "The white point of the paper gives us nice highlights and greater shadow detail," says Hatchcock. "The contrast across the entire spectrum is very natural, like you would find in a true photograph."
At PhotoPlus East, Roland introduced its Enhanced Black Ink for the Hi-Fi Jet Pro. The rich, velvety black enhances the entire color gamut and depth-of-field in B&W photos. Combined with Roland's pigment ink set it provides super longevity—upwards of 120 years!
"I love this ink," says digital photographer Vincent Versace. "This is the first time I have ever seen a pigment print have the depth and color of a dye ink print. I'm blown away."
Roland DGA Corporation—the North and South American marketing, sales, and service arm of Roland DG Corporation—is a worldwide leader in the sign-making, graphic arts, fine arts, photography, engraving, and 3D modeling industries. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, with international headquarters in Japan.

For more information on Roland products, call 800/542-2307, visit www.rolanddga.com