Almost all serious
photographers and artists now choose pigment ink printers, for the
simple fact that you can't really sell a print that is going to fade in
3-4 years with good conscience. Pigment inks perform beautifully on
matte and semi-gloss papers, and are getting better all the time with
gloss papers as well.
It is critically important you use the correct black ink for the paper type for best results - the matte black ink must be used with all matte papers (the key improvement is a vastly improved D-Max), and the photo black ink must be used with gloss and semi-gloss papers.
For top class results, it is also critically important to custom profile, and use the right media settings with each paper.
We've divided the papers into 6 surface types:
Fine-Art Matte Papers (with a smooth surface)
These
papers work very well with pigment inks and offer the best archival
characteristics, and so are the papers of choice of fine art
photographers around the world. They're more subtle than traditional
photographic surfaces and, if you're used to things like Cibachrome and
the like, may take some getting used to. They are seen by a few to be
somehow less 'photographic' than gloss and semi-gloss papers, but this
is largely a product of what has been sold out of mini-labs for so
long, so people are visually attuned to semi-gloss and gloss surfaces.
This is changing, and will likely carry on changing in the years to
come - certainly in the art photography world matte papers are very
common and growing in popularity all the time.
These
papers, combined with pigment inks like the Ultrachrome inks, now offer
wide gamuts and strong blacks. It's true the d-maxes are still below
gloss papers (matte surfaces will always offer less strong blacks due
to their very nature), and the gamuts slightly smaller than gloss
papers. But framed work is visually almost identical (and often better
due to reduced reflections), and you gain MUCH better archival
characteristics, and there are no issues whatsoever with gloss
differential or bronzing. So all in all, with pigment inks, they're
really the best option if you don't require the initial punch of glossy
prints.
Hahnemuehle Photo Rag
is traditionally held to be the best fine art inkjet paper in the
world. If you're new to fine art papers, or papers other than the
standard Epson range, this is a great place to start. It really is
quite beautiful, offering the widest gamut and deepest blacks of any
fine art paper on the market.
Museo (AKA Crane) Portfolio Rag arrived in 2007. It's chief benefit over Photo Rag is that it
has absolutely no optical brightening agents (Photo Rag has a low
amount). It's 300 gsm, actually brighter than Photo Rag (despite the
lack of OBAs), and a bit smoother as well. It's an excellent paper for
gallery quality prints. We use this as our primary matte fine art paper as it is clearly the best matte fine art paper in the world today.
Finally, if you're looking for a really slick and smooth fibre based matte paper, then the new Harman Fibre Based Baryta Matte has a lovely, silky feel. It's a lovely bright white too, so has a very clean look.
Fine-Art Matte Papers (with a textured surface)
Textured
papers can really suit some images and applications, and while some
photographers get a little precious about photographs trying to imitate
paintings, these sorts of papers really can add a whole new element to
your work and limiting all your output to smooth papers as a matter of
principle is silly - you should always seek to use the best expressive
medium for your images.
We carry a number of interesting options, all with superb quality coatings for inkjet printing:
Hahnemuehle Torchon - A classic watercolour Torchon paper with an irregular texture
Hahnemuhle Museum Etching - Absolutely classic etching style paper with a classy texture - expensive but as good as these papers get
Arches Aquarelle - Classic textured paper, great for art reproduction work, with a natural warm tone.
Fibre Based Equivalents
Since
2006, a number of papers have appeared on the market, specifically
designed to mimic the traditional air dried fibre based look. The beauty of these is that the offer very classically photographic results, but for the first time the same papers can be used for black and white AND colour - something never possible with the darkroom equivalents.
Museo (AKA Crane) Silver Rag
- the first to market of this new type of paper and a truly excellent
paper for high impact printing. Surface has some texture. Still one of our
favourite paper in this category, has the most amazing tonal range and
is very strong and easy to work with.
Harman FB AL- Very smooth, air dried fibre look, quite glossy. Launched in late 2007 to great acclaim.
Ilford Fibre Gold Silk - Somewhere between the two above papers and very beautiful indeed. Silk (i.e. satin) surface. Also very reasonably priced - probably the most popular of these papers.
Epson Tradition Photo Paper - sold in the US as Epson Exhibition Fibre. Pretty much the only Epson paper we really recommend, this is a remarkable paper with very clean whites and very deep blacks, and a very nice unobtrusive surface. For maximum impact images!
Semi-Gloss (Lustre)
Semi-Gloss papers are probably the best option with pigment ink
printers if you move away from fine art matte papers. Semi-Gloss offers
a robust surface to work with (resistant to fingerprints and the like),
but with the good D-Max and large gamut typical of gloss papers.
Semi-gloss papers exhibit much less bronzing than high gloss papers
with pigment inks.
Canson Infinity PhotoSatin
- Beautiful 270 g/m2 Semi-Gloss paper. Instant drying, high weight
paper that is resistant to marking, scratches and water! Offers
excellent gamut and very high D-Max. Has a less sparkly surface than
the Ilford paper below and is the paper I personally use for all our
family photos etc - very classy.
Ilford Smooth Pearl
- Classic pearl surface with considerable sparkle. Beautiful
photographic results and the most popular inkjet paper in the world.
Gloss Paper
Pigment inks and gloss papers are traditionally not the best of friends, with some issues with gloss differential remaining even in 2008. Probably the best option is Harman FB AL (see fibre alternatives above)
Ilford Smooth Gloss - Classic gloss surface, classic high impact photographic results.
Canson Infinity PhotoGloss
- 260 g/m2 High gloss paper. Instant drying, high weight paper that is
resistant to marking, scratches and water! Offers excellent gamut and
very high D-Max.
Canvas
Our favourite canvas is the new Hahnemuhle Monet canvas. 400 GSM, 100% cotton, exquisite print quality, and stretches beautifully.