Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin : Matt or Gloss?

[Jim-St]

Just acquired an Epson 3800 and a set of Hahnemuhle paper samples, which I'm working through. Mostly this is pretty straightforward, however the Photo Rag Satin paper is listed by Hahnemuhle as a "Glossy Fine Art" paper, but the Epson driver setting they suggest for it is Velvet Fine Art.

This raises a couple of questions I'm wondering  if others have thoughts on:

1. What output sharpening settings should one use in LR or PKS - matte or gloss?

2. In terms of output dpi, should one use 1440dpi or 2880dpi (as I've seen recommended respectively for matte and gloss papers) when printing to this paper?

Any suggestions welcome - thanks in anticipation

Jim

[Geoff Wittig]

Just acquired an Epson 3800 and a set of Hahnemuhle paper samples, which I'm working through. Mostly this is pretty straightforward, however the Photo Rag Satin paper is listed by Hahnemuhle as a "Glossy Fine Art" paper, but the Epson driver setting they suggest for it is Velvet Fine Art.

This raises a couple of questions I'm wondering  if others have thoughts on:

1. What output sharpening settings should one use in LR or PKS - matte or gloss?

2. In terms of output dpi, should one use 1440dpi or 2880dpi (as I've seen recommended respectively for matte and gloss papers) when printing to this paper?

Any suggestions welcome - thanks in anticipation

Jim

Photo rag satin isn't quite like any other paper I've used. The surface looks like a standard matte cotton rag paper before you lay down any ink on it. After ink hits the paper it takes on a subtle differential gloss depending on the density and color of ink. On the HP Z3100 printer I've gotten the best results using a paper preset that uses both photo black and matte black ink. You may want to try it both ways, that is, first using photo black ink and then matte black to see what looks better on your Epson printer.

The surface has some texture and it's a thick cotton rag paper, so I don't think you'll gain much by using a higher dpi, and sharpening for matte is probably more appropriate.

Rumor has it Hahnemuhle may have stopped making this paper, which would be too bad. Its color gamut is a bit limited, but for some images it really sings.

Hope that helps.

[Jim-St]

Photo rag satin isn't quite like any other paper I've used. The surface looks like a standard matte cotton rag paper before you lay down any ink on it. After ink hits the paper it takes on a subtle differential gloss depending on the density and color of ink. On the HP Z3100 printer I've gotten the best results using a paper preset that uses both photo black and matte black ink. You may want to try it both ways, that is, first using photo black ink and then matte black to see what looks better on your Epson printer.

The surface has some texture and it's a thick cotton rag paper, so I don't think you'll gain much by using a higher dpi, and sharpening for matte is probably more appropriate.

Rumor has it Hahnemuhle may have stopped making this paper, which would be too bad. Its color gamut is a bit limited, but for some images it really sings.

Hope that helps.

Thanks a lot Geoff, that's very helpful. I've run of one print today using all-matte ink and settings, and it certainly is very impressive for the image I used. So if it's still going to be available I'll certainly try some more pictures on it, and maybe experiment with the Photo Black ink too (I can't mix MK and PK on the 3800)

Regards

Jim

[howseth]

Please, for the love of all humanity - and the continued safe orbit of our planet through the heavens, stop with the "discontinued" rumor already! It has never been confirmed - and the Hana. Rag Satin is available at all the paper vendors. It is my favorite paper.

That being said - on a Z3100 - the best setting I have found for this paper is for "thick fine art paper" (no gloss enhancer) It does, I believe use both PK and MK black inks. I would try the Velvet Fine Art on your Epson 3800 first.

Howard

[JohnBrew]

Just acquired an Epson 3800 and a set of Hahnemuhle paper samples, which I'm working through. Mostly this is pretty straightforward, however the Photo Rag Satin paper is listed by Hahnemuhle as a "Glossy Fine Art" paper, but the Epson driver setting they suggest for it is Velvet Fine Art.

This raises a couple of questions I'm wondering  if others have thoughts on:

1. What output sharpening settings should one use in LR or PKS - matte or gloss?

2. In terms of output dpi, should one use 1440dpi or 2880dpi (as I've seen recommended respectively for matte and gloss papers) when printing to this paper?

Any suggestions welcome - thanks in anticipation

Jim

Hi Jim, I called a friend who prints Photo Rag Satin on a 3800. He says to hand feed the paper from the back and use Matte ink. He uses this for all his exhibition printing, he is a well-known professional, and his large prints are truly outstanding.
Good luck.

[Jim-St]

Please, for the love of all humanity - and the continued safe orbit of our planet through the heavens, stop with the "discontinued" rumor already! It has never been confirmed - and the Hana. Rag Satin is available at all the paper vendors. It is my favorite paper.

That being said - on a Z3100 - the best setting I have found for this paper is for "thick fine art paper" (no gloss enhancer) It does, I believe use both PK and MK black inks. I would try the Velvet Fine Art on your Epson 3800 first.

Howard

Howard, I hope you're right - this is an attractive paper, and I think I'll be buying some large format stuff for use in the near future. Velvet Fine Art is right - Hahnemuhle settings guide says so

Hi Jim, I called a friend who prints Photo Rag Satin on a 3800. He says to hand feed the paper from the back and use Matte ink. He uses this for all his exhibition printing, he is a well-known professional, and his large prints are truly outstanding.
Good luck.

John - thanks very much for going out of your way to get me an answer - much appreciated, and it chimes with the other advice I've received here, as  Velvet Fine Art only loads in the rear feed. It seems curious that a paper so clearly not matte takes a matte ink, but the result is excellent, and I think I'll stick with it. I suspect that since this paper responds so well to MK, using PK would lead to loss of contrast and weaker blacks.

Thanks to you both, Howard and John

Jim

[howseth]

[quote name='Jim-St' date='Feb 19 2009, 12:11 PM' post='261408']
Howard, I hope you're right - this is an attractive paper, and I think I'll be buying some large format stuff for use in the near future.

A follow-up on the status of this paper.

I contacted Hahnumuhle USA; the customer service manager, Holly Sechan, quickly e-mailed me back that the Photo Rag Satin is not being discontinued;

So, it was a false rumor - thank goodness...

Howard

[Jim-St]

That's good news indeed, Howard

Thanks

Jim