At thePMAshow in early March, 2003,Epsonannounced several new printing papers. The most exciting of these from the point of view of fine art photographers isUltraSmooth Fine Art Paper. Here's what Epson's press release has to say about it...

EPSON UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper is a 100 percent cotton rag that is acid-free, lignin-free and optical brightener-free. The UltraSmooth base is slightly alkaline, with a 2 percent calcium carbonate buffer to preserve the alkalinity to a conservator's pH of about 8.0. Wilhelm Imaging Research has rated dark storage well in excess of 100 years, with tests still continuing(a). The ultra smooth surface is similar to Epson's very popular Enhanced Matte Paper, but this paper has the greater archivability required by photographers and fine artists. It also has the highest D-Max and greatest scratch resistance of any archival paper on the market.

Sounds terrific doesn't it? I currently use Epson'sEnhanced Matte(formerlyArchival Matte) for 95% of m...