HP Paper for B&W? Help!

[ChrisS]

I've spent today printing B&W on HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art paper on my HP B9180, and have now decided it's far too creamy for what I want. The prints are for an exhibition, and need to be ready very soon, so I would really appreciate advice.

Is HP Professional Satin Photo paper really good/ exhibitable quality?

Is HP Photo Matte archival? (Footnote no. 1 at
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF...76-1143049.html
suggests that it is, but the box that the paper comes in doesn't make that claim.) The Photo Matte is a really strong white and produces exactly the look I'm after.

I really want to stay with HP papers for now - I can't afford to make more mistakes!

Thanks for any advice.

Chris

[neil snape]

Well the brightness and L* that I measure on HP Smooth is about as bright as you can get on matte. Photo surfaces will have better contrast and the blacks much richer. Hahnemuhle have some media labelled bright white which means a bright base/or layer, plus lots of optical brighteners. PErsonally I avoid the brighteners when I can.

The PRo Satin is a bright RC type paper that works extremely well with the 9180. I don't recommend the HP Baryte as it is not well suited surprisingly for HP pigments.

If I remember right the Photo Matte is a ultra smooth matte paper made for Photo Black. It is a RC type of paper that will have good waterfastness, and decent permanence. Not a premium paper though for glass mounting as would be the cotton rag base papers. Many have had good luck with Ilford Gold Silk, being inexpensive, and a nice all round paper.
I do know the PRo Satin is the best performer for gallery work though>

See my site for more on the 9180 and printing BW with the 9180.

[ChrisS]

Thanks for your reply, Neil.  What bothers me about the HP Photo Matte is that I can't state its permanence - which must be an issue when trying to sell prints. 200+ years sounds more convincing than 'a long time'! I have a tiny sample of the Pro Satin, and based on what you've said, it looks like that might well be the way to go. I think I prefer matte, but that has to be second to getting the tonal range that I'm looking for. And once it's behind glass, surface is less an issue for me.

I really appreciate your reply.

Chris.

[Roscolo]

HP Satin (no difference in pro or reg except weight of paper) is my paper of choice for B&W work. It is virtually indistinguishable from darkroom prints I made on Ilford MG IV. I usually dial in just a touch of warmth as well.

[Geoff Wittig]

I've spent today printing B&W on HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art paper on my HP B9180, and have now decided it's far too creamy for what I want. The prints are for an exhibition, and need to be ready very soon, so I would really appreciate advice.

Is HP Professional Satin Photo paper really good/ exhibitable quality?

Is HP Photo Matte archival? (Footnote no. 1 at
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF...76-1143049.html
suggests that it is, but the box that the paper comes in doesn't make that claim.) The Photo Matte is a really strong white and produces exactly the look I'm after.

I really want to stay with HP papers for now - I can't afford to make more mistakes!

Thanks for any advice.

Chris

HP Pro satin yields excellent black & white prints with HP's vivera ink. The paper white is very neutral, d-max is very deep, and the surface texture is just about perfect to my eye: unobtrusive soft gloss, not too shiny. The only downside is the plastic feel of the paper in your hand, which isn't relevant if your print is framed behind glass.

[ChrisS]

Thanks for your answers - the Satin is on order.

Just out of interest - does anyone know what happened to HP Photo Matte's WIR status? The link in my first post suggests it will be certified, but it hasn't appeared as such. Maybe it just wasn't up to the tests? Seems a shame. Anyone know the machinations of HP's R&D, or marketing???

Cheers

Chris

[neil snape]

Thanks for your answers - the Satin is on order.

Just out of interest - does anyone know what happened to HP Photo Matte's WIR status? The link in my first post suggests it will be certified, but it hasn't appeared as such. Maybe it just wasn't up to the tests? Seems a shame. Anyone know the machinations of HP's R&D, or marketing???

Cheers

Chris

Look on the HP 9180 Yahoo users group for a Pro Satin custom profile. It will work better than other methods.

[ChrisS]

Look on the HP 9180 Yahoo users group for a Pro Satin custom profile. It will work better than other methods.

I have the Pro Satin profile that came with the printer - is it not a good one?

[ChrisS]

The Pro Satin paper worked really well - thanks again for your advice. In the end I found a combination of that and the HP Hahnemühle Smooth FA paper did the job.

My next task is to take the prints (15) to be framed. I'm placing them in the box that the paper came in, face up, one on top of the next. Should I be using tissue paper between the prints to protect them? If not, what? (Or nothing?) Particularly the surface of Satin paper seems vulnerable.

Cheers

Chris

[neil snape]

I have the Pro Satin profile that came with the printer - is it not a good one?

Since I made the profile it is probably better, but I don't know where I put it. Probably on the Yahoo site though.
The printer didn't come with the profile in the beginning so I had to make one. Usually the HP profiles are smooth and have excellent greys but the colours are not always fetching the max of the potential saturation, and have some contouring compared to PRofile Maker profiles.