Paper Surfaces

[felix5616]

I print on an HPZ3200PS 44" printer. I would like some advice regarding different paper surfaces.  What parameters guide your decision to use various paper surface choices?,  when and why would you use a gloss paper vs a matte or watercolor paper. Is it the subject matter, detail you want to convey or something more complicated?  Are certain images better on one surface than another?

[Justan]

The paper is a subtle but distinctive part of the presentation of the image. While I'm no expert, IMO some of the textured surfaces really shine (figuratively) when the texture serves to enhance the image. As example, I've done some snow shots on a heavily textured paper. The surface texture does a heck of a job of adding a sense of 3d to the image. I also shoot a lot of longish exposures and find that a textured surface enhances the painterly like quality of these kinds of images, while, at the same time, eliminating or drastically reducing glare from reflected light.

[Geoff Wittig]

I print on an HPZ3200PS 44" printer. I would like some advice regarding different paper surfaces.  What parameters guide your decision to use various paper surface choices?,  when and why would you use a gloss paper vs a matte or watercolor paper. Is it the subject matter, detail you want to convey or something more complicated?  Are certain images better on one surface than another?

It's generally an æsthetic decision, with some trade-off's involved.
Epson dominated the 'archival' pigment ink printer market from the get-go. Their 7600/2200 generation of Epson printers had significant problems with bronzing/metamerism on glossy papers, and they produced beautiful results on matte or cotton rag papers, so for many of us this became the preferred choice. Newer printers like the Z3100/3200, the Epson 7880/7900 and the big Canon printers do a much better job on glossier papers with a deep d-max and acceptable bronzing/metamerism. Folks like Bill Atkinson have long argued that the greater color gamut and d-max of luster/glossy papers made them the best choice æsthetically. On the other hand, textured cotton rag papers do indeed add something special to photographs of snowy landscapes and such; and there's a lot to be said for prints without any gloss/reflectance problems.

Just see for yourself what works with your own photographs. For me, I use cotton rag papers for photographs that don't depend upon a really deep black and neon color gamut for their impact. I use a semigloss 'baryta' paper for black & white because of the much better d-max; and I use a cotton rag paper with a pearl surface for color photographs that require a good d-max and gamut. But I could happily print everything on HP professional satin if I never gave a thought to 'hand feel'.

[howseth]

If the photos are going to be framed behind glass - that might affect which surface you choose. The glass might obscure, or hide surface texture in a matte paper, or in another case, have some interaction with reflections when using glossy paper; perhaps someone can address this issue with greater precision, and detail, than I have.

Howard