PRESS ROOM STORY
BARYTA MAKES TRANSITION TO INKJET WITH NEW HARMAN RANGE
7th November 2006
BARYTA MAKES TRANSITION TO INKJET WITH NEW HARMAN RANGE
*HARMAN technology uses Baryta to catalyse ‘the next stage of evolution’ for inkjet.
HARMAN technology Limited, the pioneering professional imaging specialist, has introduced the first professional inkjet media products to incorporate Baryta; an ingredient used in the traditional photography process that has long been credited with providing traditional photographic prints with their inherent definition, tonal range and archival properties.
Howard Hopwood, Marketing Director at HARMAN technology commented:
“Our heritage as a business is in traditional photography, and as professional imaging specialists, we shared the frustration of photographers with the quality of inkjet prints when compared with traditional photographs.”
“As such, we began developing our one hundred percent Baryta products, adapting the technology used in traditional photography to create inkjet prints that shared the essence of real photographic images. By doing this, we believe we are ushering in the next stage of evolution for photographic inkjet prints.” He added.
Baryta is a coating that sits above the fibre base of the new HARMAN inkjet media, lying underneath the regular active and protective coating layers. The Baryta layer prevents the emulsions soaking into the fibre base, enhancing the detail of images. Added to this, the Baryta improves the depth and quality of printed blacks, whilst also enhancing the whiteness of the fibre base; allowing a much broader tonal range with greater detail in shadows and highlights. Although these positive facets of Baryta have been recognised for decades in traditional photography, an inkjet product has never been able to harness them successfully until now.
To further augment the benefits provided by Baryta, HARMAN is manufacturing the pioneering new media using a thick, heavy paper stock to help recreate the essence and physical attributes of traditional photographic prints. This stock also helps to generate a robust and versatile print, which combined with the archival properties boasted by Baryta-enhanced products, creates a print that preserves the value of the image.
Howard Hopwood continued:
“Since the rise of digital photography, professional photographers have struggled to create inkjet prints that are worthy of sale. With our new Baryta range, we believe we have found a solution – providing media that will reflect the quality of the image and create a robust print that is of museum quality.”
HARMAN technology’s new range of professional inkjet media was unveiled to the industry at the Photokina exhibition in Cologne in September, with an official launch expected later in the year. Primarily targeted at the photographic artist and professional photography markets, the attributes inspired by the use of Baryta are expected to bring heightened interest from museums, libraries and other institutions that require hard-copy image archives.
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NOTE TO EDITORS:
HARMAN technology Limited is a pioneering professional imaging specialist based in Mobberley, Cheshire. Manufacturing traditional monochrome photography products under the ILFORD Photo brand and providing a range of contract manufacture solutions for a broad spectrum of industries; HARMAN launched an innovative and groundbreaking range of professional inkjet media in 2006.
For more information on this story, please contact Alex Myers at Manifest Communications on 01484 469601, or email alex@manifestcomms.co.uk