Thanks for these comments. One of the difficulties is we have too many paper choices/brands. Nobody has the time to fully review and test all of them. Sometimes coating formulations change and the 'new' paper does not yield the same results.
I print on both matte and glossy papers with success that is highly dependent of the image. Soft proofing gets you so far but there are always nuances that are not revealed until you have a print to view. I have settled on four papers that I routinely use these days. I have had enough time with each to figure out all the idiosyncrasies.
We're planning a few different "Guides to matte/baryta/etc papers". We did one on Moab papers, and a limited comparison of baryta papers a while back that may prove helpful. We are working on a few more now.
Even in the context of matte and glossy, the choices can seem daunting. As pointed out, there are so many different types of matte and glossary papers. I don't recall where I read it, but I think good advice is to don't be afraid to experiment with various kinds of paper.
It's usually better to divide all the individual papers up into families. Smooth Mat, Textured Mat, Semi-gloss, and glossy. Within that there are two distinct varieties of "Bright" and natural, bright having optical brightners. Within those families the differences are more subtle and in many cases can be considered fine tuning.
Red River does a good job on putting these papers into categories. I have about four of their papers now and have tried some of their samples which is a great offering that they provide.
My bigger question is, how do I select a paper for a particular image? I realize fine art photos are gonna go on a fine art paper, but there are so many questions on what might work best. I love the look of a matte finish, but I also love the color saturation and the deep blacks from red River glossy papers also
Choices choices. Thanks for all the help you provide.
As a side note, I’m printing on a new Canon Pro 1100 printer. With just the high setting and with quality photos to print I’m just blown away with the end result!
Jack, I agree the Canon 1000 ProGraf series is terrific. They are workhorses in our studio. As far as paper selection goes, matching images to paper does take experience and experimentation. We teach that in our Fine Art Printing workshops, so you might want tot hink about taking one of ours or another experienced printer/teacher.
Good point on coating formulations changing. I really enjoy testing as many papers as possible and have noticed that different batches of the same exact paper render different results. I find paper texture (or lack thereof) and color gamut to be 2 of the most significant factors that influence my choice of paper for any given image. While this does not alleviate the inconvenience of inconsistency in formulation, it does better enable me to find what I believe is the best choice.
Thanks for these comments. One of the difficulties is we have too many paper choices/brands. Nobody has the time to fully review and test all of them. Sometimes coating formulations change and the 'new' paper does not yield the same results.
I print on both matte and glossy papers with success that is highly dependent of the image. Soft proofing gets you so far but there are always nuances that are not revealed until you have a print to view. I have settled on four papers that I routinely use these days. I have had enough time with each to figure out all the idiosyncrasies.
We're planning a few different "Guides to matte/baryta/etc papers". We did one on Moab papers, and a limited comparison of baryta papers a while back that may prove helpful. We are working on a few more now.
THIS is what I need!
Even in the context of matte and glossy, the choices can seem daunting. As pointed out, there are so many different types of matte and glossary papers. I don't recall where I read it, but I think good advice is to don't be afraid to experiment with various kinds of paper.
I'm going through this now
It's usually better to divide all the individual papers up into families. Smooth Mat, Textured Mat, Semi-gloss, and glossy. Within that there are two distinct varieties of "Bright" and natural, bright having optical brightners. Within those families the differences are more subtle and in many cases can be considered fine tuning.
Red River does a good job on putting these papers into categories. I have about four of their papers now and have tried some of their samples which is a great offering that they provide.
My bigger question is, how do I select a paper for a particular image? I realize fine art photos are gonna go on a fine art paper, but there are so many questions on what might work best. I love the look of a matte finish, but I also love the color saturation and the deep blacks from red River glossy papers also
Choices choices. Thanks for all the help you provide.
As a side note, I’m printing on a new Canon Pro 1100 printer. With just the high setting and with quality photos to print I’m just blown away with the end result!
Jack, I agree the Canon 1000 ProGraf series is terrific. They are workhorses in our studio. As far as paper selection goes, matching images to paper does take experience and experimentation. We teach that in our Fine Art Printing workshops, so you might want tot hink about taking one of ours or another experienced printer/teacher.
Thanks!
Thank you! I’m going through your stuff with a fine tooth comb! It’s excellent!
Good point on coating formulations changing. I really enjoy testing as many papers as possible and have noticed that different batches of the same exact paper render different results. I find paper texture (or lack thereof) and color gamut to be 2 of the most significant factors that influence my choice of paper for any given image. While this does not alleviate the inconvenience of inconsistency in formulation, it does better enable me to find what I believe is the best choice.