Tuesday
Nov032009
paper geek
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 12:39 PM
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As some of you may know, I purchased an Epson Photo R2880 a few months ago when I decided after much deliberation to do all my printing in-house (at least anything 13 in wide or less).The Snow Leopard debacle notwithstanding, I haven't regretted my decision one bit. Sending my client's photos to the lab always made me feel like a cheat for some reason. More than that I'd be nervous right up until I had the prints in my hands, which were usually... ok. But I don't like ok. I like wow. Control issues you say? Damn right.
What I didn't anticipate was the side-effect: the paper geek syndrome.
I started reading everything about high-end inkjet printing. I learned they were sometimes refered to as giclée prints. I learned about Epson's attempt at creating a new standard with Digigraphie, a very interesting idea that combines certified printers (all Epson of course), papers and certificates of authenticity, the aim being to provide a frame of reference for evaluating the value of fine art prints in the digital age ( it does seem to be taking off in Europe but it's going pretty much unnoticed in North America. An email I sent them regarding certification was never even answered).
I also fell head first into the obscure world of fine art papers. A jungle. The Mac vs PC debate has nothing on this, believe me. Discussions veer from highly technical issues regarding D-Max(shadow detail), gamut (colour spectrum) and coating to almost intimate subject matters like feel and tooth. At first I thought "these people are nuts". But then -slowly - I found myself lusting for... papers.
I was now a full-blown paper geek.
But above and beyond the sometimes mystical discussions regarding paper choice, the truth is that getting great looking prints is about much more than the printer. And as I found out, paper plays a very serious part in that equation.
Matte or Glossy? Lustre? Baryta or rag? Yep, choice is a bitch. But you have to face facts and dive into what's available, try different types of papers from different companies, print a range of images that will represent your output. It's really the only way. Reviews can be useful but in the end it comes down to nothing but personal preferences. So to give you an idea, here's a rundown of the process I went through.
the real thing
Before buying anything you need to see the real thing. My local photo store has printed sample books for all the papers they sell, a very nice way to get an idea of what each company has to offer. I looked and touched each one, roughly compared prices and settled on Ilford and Hahnemuhle (also taking into account what I had read on various sites).
pack rat
Sampler packs are your friend and most serious paper suppliers offer them. They usually provide a good range of media with 2 sheets of each paper type, allowing you to try both colour and black and white (if you plan on doing both). The store had packs for both Ilford and Hahnemuhle so I was all set.
profiling
Before printing a single sheet I visited the Ilford and Hahnemuhle websites and downloaded the printer specific ICC profiles for all the papers in the pack. I also took note of the printer settings for each one (Premium Glossy, Ultra-Luster etc). I then installed all the profiles in the ColorSync folder to make them available to my applications (in OS X you just drag them to Library/ColorSync/Profiles).
handling
It's very important not to touch the surface to be printed with your bare fingers as the oils could affect the quality of the output. I already had cotton gloves to handle my client's photos (you can find them in photo stores) and used them to handle the papers. I made fun earlier of the sometimes sensual nature of discussions surrounding paper types but the fact is, the first impression is tactile. Papers have different weights (GSM) and textures that greatly affect how you'll perceive the final photograph. A paper might look good but feel flimsy and you have to take that into account if your clients will be handling them. It should be less of an issue if it's for personal use or intended to be sold already framed, but I found myself gravitating towards heavier, more solid stock regardless.
texture and colour
I was also surprised by the importance of texture. Whether matte, lustre or glossy, textures vary greatly between papers in each categories. Matte papers come with various degrees of grain and fibers. The same is true for lustre (or pearl) where the tooth varies in intensity as well as shape. There's also the composition of the paper which can affect the way colours are rendered (some papers are warmer or colder) but can also have an impact on longevity and archival qualities. There's a great debate right now about OBAs, compounds used to make papers whiter in order to add as much brilliance as possible. There are some who argue that the addition of OBAs reduces longevity and may cause premature yellowing of prints. As I said, it's a jungle.
price
When I started doing my research I built a Bento database just for papers so I could easily get an overview of prices for different sizes and papers. My studio needs to be profitable so this is something that needed to be considered as well.
my thing
As some of you may know, I purchased an Epson Photo R2880 a few months ago when I decided after much deliberation to do all my printing in-house (at least anything 13 in wide or less).The Snow Leopard debacle notwithstanding, I haven't regretted my decision one bit. Sending my client's photos to the lab always made me feel like a cheat for some reason. More than that I'd be nervous right up until I had the prints in my hands, which were usually... ok. But I don't like ok. I like wow. Control issues you say? Damn right.
What I didn't anticipate was the side-effect: the paper geek syndrome.
the jungle
I started reading everything about high-end inkjet printing. I learned they were sometimes refered to as giclée prints. I learned about Epson's attempt at creating a new standard with Digigraphie, a very interesting idea that combines certified printers (all Epson of course), papers and certificates of authenticity, the aim being to provide a frame of reference for evaluating the value of fine art prints in the digital age ( it does seem to be taking off in Europe but it's going pretty much unnoticed in North America. An email I sent them regarding certification was never even answered).
I also fell head first into the obscure world of fine art papers. A jungle. The Mac vs PC debate has nothing on this, believe me. Discussions veer from highly technical issues regarding D-Max(shadow detail), gamut (colour spectrum) and coating to almost intimate subject matters like feel and tooth. At first I thought "these people are nuts". But then -slowly - I found myself lusting for... papers.
I was now a full-blown paper geek.
But above and beyond the sometimes mystical discussions regarding paper choice, the truth is that getting great looking prints is about much more than the printer. And as I found out, paper plays a very serious part in that equation.
watcha, watcha, watcha want?
Matte or Glossy? Lustre? Baryta or rag? Yep, choice is a bitch. But you have to face facts and dive into what's available, try different types of papers from different companies, print a range of images that will represent your output. It's really the only way. Reviews can be useful but in the end it comes down to nothing but personal preferences. So to give you an idea, here's a rundown of the process I went through.
the real thing
Before buying anything you need to see the real thing. My local photo store has printed sample books for all the papers they sell, a very nice way to get an idea of what each company has to offer. I looked and touched each one, roughly compared prices and settled on Ilford and Hahnemuhle (also taking into account what I had read on various sites).
pack rat
Sampler packs are your friend and most serious paper suppliers offer them. They usually provide a good range of media with 2 sheets of each paper type, allowing you to try both colour and black and white (if you plan on doing both). The store had packs for both Ilford and Hahnemuhle so I was all set.
profiling
Before printing a single sheet I visited the Ilford and Hahnemuhle websites and downloaded the printer specific ICC profiles for all the papers in the pack. I also took note of the printer settings for each one (Premium Glossy, Ultra-Luster etc). I then installed all the profiles in the ColorSync folder to make them available to my applications (in OS X you just drag them to Library/ColorSync/Profiles).
handling
It's very important not to touch the surface to be printed with your bare fingers as the oils could affect the quality of the output. I already had cotton gloves to handle my client's photos (you can find them in photo stores) and used them to handle the papers. I made fun earlier of the sometimes sensual nature of discussions surrounding paper types but the fact is, the first impression is tactile. Papers have different weights (GSM) and textures that greatly affect how you'll perceive the final photograph. A paper might look good but feel flimsy and you have to take that into account if your clients will be handling them. It should be less of an issue if it's for personal use or intended to be sold already framed, but I found myself gravitating towards heavier, more solid stock regardless.
texture and colour
I was also surprised by the importance of texture. Whether matte, lustre or glossy, textures vary greatly between papers in each categories. Matte papers come with various degrees of grain and fibers. The same is true for lustre (or pearl) where the tooth varies in intensity as well as shape. There's also the composition of the paper which can affect the way colours are rendered (some papers are warmer or colder) but can also have an impact on longevity and archival qualities. There's a great debate right now about OBAs, compounds used to make papers whiter in order to add as much brilliance as possible. There are some who argue that the addition of OBAs reduces longevity and may cause premature yellowing of prints. As I said, it's a jungle.
price
When I started doing my research I built a Bento database just for papers so I could easily get an overview of prices for different sizes and papers. My studio needs to be profitable so this is something that needed to be considered as well.
Reader Comments (1)
Geeks never settle! Great post, I now need a photo printer (amateur grade, in my case).