Back before the pandemic Moab had a silver metallic paper that I used to good effect, even though this substrate had a few drawbacks. It was difficult to handle, scratched easily, and often had a blue cast. That said, the silver metallic look is something that really works well for many of my images, and I truly mourned the paper’s passing.

I am delighted to report that the new Moab Slickrock Metallic Pro paper not only overcomes the flaws in the earlier version but on its own is a wonderful and compelling material for making high-end inkjet prints. It is highly recommended! Here are a few of the prints that I’ve made with Slickrock Metallic Pro.

First, it should be noted that there is an aspect to this paper that simply cannot be adequately captured in a single still image of a print. The paper is of course highly reflective, but this reflectivity renders in a photo as grey (see the borders on the prints that accompany this story). Typically, when viewing a print on this surface (or any metallic surface for that matter) you don’t see it as a single color because the surface changes as your position changes, and also depending upon the light. So no one single capture will ever do justice to the lustrous and almost magical surface of this material.

I really cannot say enough good things about this paper. Obviously, it is not a fit for all images, but this is true for any paper, and part of the craft and art of printmaking is marrying the image to the material it is printing on. That said, I have printed a wide variety of subjects on the paper. The colors run true, the paper is easy to handle and “plays” well with our Epson 9900. 

For monochrome prints, the blacks are lustrous. Overall, the dynamic range is extensive, and gradations are delicate and well rendered.

If you are into making your own prints I think you should give Slickrock Metallic Pro a try. It will likely become one of your go-to substrates. If you do try it, please let me know what you think by adding a comment to this story!

If you’d like to give it a try, you can buy your own Slickrock Metallic Pro paper by following this link!