My first large format print was made using Hahnemuhle A3+ Smooth Fine Art Paper. This is a 265 g/m super smooth matte finish, the media is rigid and has a quality feel. It is visibly very difficult to tell which is the coated or uncoated side, although the instruction sheet included with the media says the coated side is face upwards when opening the pack. In my eagerness to produce a print I took the entire pack out and can't remember which side was on top. However, the instructions go on to say, to find the coated side, moisten your fingers slightly and hold the media for a couple of seconds, the side that feels tacky is the coated side. Not the best solution if your intending to sell your work as an archival quality print. I suppose in 200 years time some clever person may be able to reconstruct a clone of you from the DNA extracted from your Saliva. A better method for finding the correct side is to run your finger along the edge of the paper. There is a slight raised ridge where the paper has been cut, the raised side is the coated side - be careful not to get a paper cut.

The Speciality Media tray was used for the Hahnemuhle print. You should ensure that there is sufficient clearance to the rear of the printer, as the paper is fed in through the front and exits at the rear. Once printing starts the media is pulled back into the printer from the rear. I had a couple of A3+ prints which drifted off track slightly causing an uneven border. Although in theory you can print a panoramic pictures up to 44 inches in length, the reality is that keeping the media straight may be a tall order. My test A3+ print took 7 minutes 11 seconds, an insignificant amount of time, considering the print is going to last for 200+ years. (Longevity not tested)

The Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art paper produced wonderful b/w prints with a dense black, yet keeping all the shadow detail. The paper is not a bleached white, it has a soft warm tone, but without being creamy. This hint of warmth is terrific for portraits and high key subject matter. The Hahnemuhle print is a quality product which will be welcomed by the "Fine Art Photographer" and for those photographers involved with exhibition work. On colour photographs the colours are muted and lose the vibrancy of the HP Advanced gloss media, but they still have an amazing colour depth.

Carefully align the media with dotted line	and with the slight raised edge on right
Allow sufficient clearance at the rear	Superb b/w prints

The speciality media tray keeps the media in a straight path which means you can use slightly more rigid media - the main tray takes media through a U - turn. Loading media presented no problems, the markings are well defined and can be clearly seen in a dimly lit room.

This morning I had a problem with the B9180, it refused to print anything via the Photoshop Photosmart Pro plug-in, and it also failed to print the test page from the Printer Properties in the Control Panel. I re-installed the printer drivers and the Photoshop Plug-in and it works again. I don't know why the driver was lost.

Print made on Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art Media photo © Vincent Oliver