How do you choose a paper?

[JNHenry]

Hi all.

I'm curious how people choose which paper(s) to use when printing at home, and the rationale behind those decisions.

I understand this is a wide, open ended, and probably highly personal (e.g. personal tastes) question, but thought I'd ask anyways.  Do you choose certain papers/textures for certain subjects, eg color vs. black and white, or landscape vs. portraits?  Does the size of the print influence what paper you use?  Are there generally accepted norms of what paper to use for certain applications (really hope that question doesn't start a food fight)?

As background, while I've owned a Epson 3880 for a while, I haven't really done much printing with it.  Did a trip to Bhutan late last year, and now that many of the better images have been selected, processed, and posted on my site, I wanted to start printing some of them...just for fun.  The first thing that intrigued me is that of the 10 or so I did initial prints of, a few (maybe 2) didn't look as good on paper as on screen; the rest looked better printed (and also accentuated flaws in processing/editing, that I now need to correct).

There are so many papers to choose from that it's almost impossible for a non-professional to justify trying them all, or even a large number of them.  Coupled with that, the price of paper here in New Zealand is outrageous (the same 25 sheet Canson Infinity box that sells for USD 31 in the States is USD 65 here).

I've mainly done printing on Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag (310 g/m2).  But, recently picked up a small pack of CI Baryta Photographique (310).  I like the texture of the Platine, but the Baryta makes the images pop even more.  Yes, I have downloaded Canson's ICC profiles, and use those.  But, now wondering what else I'm missing out there in the world of papers and also what should guide me when deciding which paper to use in different instances.

Any guidance from your own experiences, or any suggestions you have would be most appreciated.

All the best, and thanks in advance,

Jeff
www.pixelsandgrain.co

[Tony Jay]

One should probably only pick a couple of papers at most and get to know them well printing both colour and B&W.
Manufacturers profiles will usually suffice unless one is equipped to make them oneself.

What one plans to do with the prints is also important. Mounting papers with optical brightners reliant on UV radiation behind glass that filters UV radiation rather defeats the purpose as a small example.

Best way to start is to pick up starter packs if possible. Canson definately has these available. Other manufacturers should also supply starter packs. That way one can print with several different papers and gauge the results.

Also, merely choosing a paper is only a small part in the whole printing workflow and so it would be highly remiss of me not to recommend LuLa's Camera to Print and Screen as must see viewing. These tutorials, while highly entertaining, provide excellent value.
It is likely that this series will answer many questions while also simultaneously prompting many more - hopefully with creative intent.

As you stated this is a broad topic and many others contributing to the LuLa forums are consummate expert printers who will likely ask more questions of you than merely give generic answers.


Regards

Tony Jay

[Alan Goldhammer]

Jeff, it really depends on the image.  I still print on matte paper for certain images (I like the way snow looks on matte and when we had the big snowfall back in 2010 I captured about 100 images around my house which really turned out quite nice).  I agree with Tony that you are better to limit yourself to a small number of papers otherwise you drive yourself crazy.  We're fortunate at this point in time to have a great number of papers that are truly outstanding.  My own personal decision is not to print on high OBA containing papers.  For what it's worth my current papers are:  gloss:  Museo Silver Rag, Ilford Gold Fiber Silk; matte:  Canson Rag Photographique, Hahnemuhle Photorag Ultra Smooth

Alan

[ashwee5185]

That is indeed a hard question to answer. There are sooo many papers on the market. I generally know what kind of look I want in a paper then go find the paper that best matches that but also yields good printing results. What I  highly recommend is getting a sample pack. All the big manufacturers worth trying have sample packs (Canson Hahnemuhle etc.) You usually get 2 sheets of all the papers in the line. What I will do is print a couple key images from a project over and over on all the papers I favor. This helps me compare apples to apples and then I can decide what paper I like without the risk of wasting money on a whole box I don't like.

I like to stay away from papers with alot of OBAs but I do not like a very warm paper either. I think its best to start on whether you want a matte or photo paper (glossy/ luster) first. I think matte papers tend to give something a fine art quality. I once printed a picture of a leaf on a very nice textured matte and it made it look like a piece of expensive art. Then I printed it on an expensive luster paper, but it read more like a snapshot that was printed at costco-- it lost the fineart edge.

I think for some images a matte will elevate the work, but there is a trade off. Because of the way light works the blacks are not as deep in appearance as a photo paper and therefore having a slightly smaller gamut. They also are a bit sharper-- which can be a double-edge sword (not that mattes are super soft, the ink just spreads a little more) its sharper but will show flaws more readily. I find the mattes to be a little more forgiving-- I can get away with a lot more than with a photo paper.

I think the best thing is to experiment and have fun. And think what is most important about your work ie having deep dark blacks, looking like a darkroom print, having a texture, having no texture, having a matte paper which makes the print an art object rather than a photo, bright white so they pop or warm whites to compliment skin tone. The more you know what you want your work to say the more obvious the paper choice becomes. Good luck and make sure you get sample packs!

[AaronPhotog]

The first thing I recommend is to determine how well the paper accepts ink (pigment ink in your case).  By using Quad Tone Rip's calibration page, you can print patches in 5% increments from each of your printer's cartridges on one sheet of paper, measure and plot the results.  I've done that for the three black inks and posted the results for a lot of popular papers in the technical section of my web page, www.dygartphotography.com.  The charts begin with matte papers, and then switch to papers that use the photo black (glossy) ink set. 

This test will show you a lot.  It will compare maximum blacks, and values for a specific ink percentage.  It will show you when blacks actually reverse with more ink, making linearization more difficult, and possibly limiting.  You can visually compare the results as well, and it will tell you a lot even without a spectrometer.  You'll see the difference between paper white and maximum black for each paper.  You'll see which papers have severe bronzing, gloss differential, and non-linear response.  If you get a black plot that is nice and smooth and just levels out at the very end, your job of profiling or linearizing is made easier, and produces fewer unwanted surprises.

If you have a spectrometer, and it is a non-uv blocking one, you'll be able to easily spot papers that are loaded with brighteners by comparing the Lab numbers (note: contrary to popular opinion, the presence of optical brightening agents is not necessarily harmful, depending on the type, how much and where they are - see Aardenberg).  By doing this test yourself, it is a sure way to see how your specific printer-ink-paper combination works.  Ernst Dinkla also has some spectral plots that will show you a lot.

Aloha, Aaron

[stormyboy]

Keith Cooper has an article about papers on his blog:

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/stuff/?p=1464

Tom