Paper for snow pictures print

[gspk77]

Hi fellows,
Which are best papers for snow pictures print?
Thank you

[Pat Herold]

Hey there gspk77, you are a newcomer so welcome to the forums!

Let me be the first to say "it all depends."  When the subject includes snow, that does mean that the color of the paper is going to be a big part of how the print turns out.  But tell us more about what your goals are, what the final intention is for the prints, how long you want them to last, and we will have more to go on to advise you.

[I.T. Supplies]

I agree with Pat.  It really depends on the image and how you (or the client) wants the final print to look.  Since there are so many options out there; matte, luster, semi-gloss, gloss, metallic, canvas, vinyl/scrim, etc, the more information on how you want the print to show is how we can provide the best options.

This also doesn't mean of what we suggest will work best on your end since it's user preference too.  Luckily, there are sample packs of the different papers available to test before you purchase the actual box/roll.

IT Supplies

[gspk77]

Dear Hubert,

Thanks for your kind words.

I spent my winter vacation at Lake Placid, and took many snow-themed photos.

Now after the RAW revelation I want to print for a small expo. I usually use Matt Fibre and PhotoRag, but I find it a kinda cream white.

By the way, it will be printed in B&W.

Thanks IT, too.

[I.T. Supplies]

Seems like you want a paper with OBA's in them instead of the natural white.  Since those papers don't have OBA's, they will have a more cream brightness which may work better on other images though.

If you like those papers though, maybe look at options like Moab Entrada Rag Bright or Epson Hot Press Bright.  Guess it also depends on the thickness you like as well. Moab has a 190 and 300gsm version of the paper too.  You want to stick with a matte paper (no sheen) or look at options with a sheen?  Again, my suggestion would be to get sample packs of brands and test from there so you have a more familiar understanding of what would work best for your images that you'd like to see it on.

Hope that helps!

[pikeys]

+1 on IT supply's reply.
Also,check your exposure brightness,when editing your images.
You might need to add some brightness ,so the whites come out as white,not grey.

Good luck,
Mike

[Alan Goldhammer]

I have printed out a Snowmageddon portfolio from the huge snowfalls that we received back in 2010 here in Bethesda.  I've printed on both gloss and matte papers.  Yes, there is a difference when you view the identical image printed on the two different papers.  However, if you have a whole series on one paper, the viewer's eyes adapt to this and as long as you are capturing a full tonal range with each ink set you will get the same visual effect.  When I was sending out 10 image letter size folios they were always printed on Museo Portfolio Rag.

[MHMG]

Seems like you want a paper with OBA's in them instead of the natural white. ...

Snow scenes, ocean waves, any scenes that tend to call for high key bluish whites or cyanish whites take a little more care to get them to print correctly on OBA-free papers. Even on OBA containing papers, the high key areas of the image shouldn't be clipped to media white. They need a little print density, and because they do, the color values at the very upper register of the tone curve can be carefully tweaked to get you to the cool white appearance you want.

Helps a lot if you know how to interpret Lab values. One can set the PS info tool to show LAB values as well as RGB or CMYK. Find the high key area you want to appear slightly, moderately, or even strongly blue-white, and observe the b* readings in particulare as well as the L* values. If the info tool is showing negative b* values with an L* in the 95-99 range, a well calibrated printer is going to print some cyan, and/or cyan +magenta (=blue) drops onto the paper in the extreme highlights, thus pulling the whitepoint color balance in the cool direction. Again, this takes practice and experience, but it is Well within the range of possibilities when printing on OBA-free media like Canson Tag Photographique or Moab Entrata Natural. These type of papers are near neutral already and thus only ever so slightly warm white, and they will easily move to slightly cool appearance with just a minimal out of the right ink drops being laid down on the paper.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Snow scenes, ocean waves, any scenes that tend to call for high key bluish whites or cyanish whites take a little more care to get them to print correctly on OBA-free papers. Even on OBA containing papers, the high key areas of the image shouldn't be clipped to media white. They need a little print density, and because they do, the color values at the very upper register of the tone curve can be carefully tweaked to get you to the cool white appearance you want.

Helps a lot if you know how to interpret Lab values. One can set the PS info tool to show LAB values as well as RGB or CMYK. Find the high key area you want to appear slightly, moderately, or even strongly blue-white, and observe the b* readings in particulare as well as the L* values. If the info tool is showing negative b* values with an L* in the 95-99 range, a well calibrated printer is going to print some cyan, and/or cyan +magenta (=blue) drops onto the paper in the extreme highlights, thus pulling the whitepoint color balance in the cool direction. Again, this takes practice and experience, but it is Well within the range of possibilities when printing on OBA-free media like Canson Tag Photographique or Moab Entrata Natural. These type of papers are near neutral already and thus only ever so slightly warm white, and they will easily move to slightly cool appearance with just a minimal out of the right ink drops being laid down on the paper.

+1, 

Neutral paper, with overcast sky a bluer snow, shadows can be made warmer for color contrast. Sunny spots on the snow can still be warmer. Consider a suitable colored border if the effect is too weak.  Picture Window Pro is free these days and has a nice tool to get a preview of a framed photo. With subjects like snow the surrounding area can help.

One I saved the preview of

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
March 2017 update, 750+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[BradSmith]

Picture Window Pro is free these days and has a nice tool to get a preview of a framed photo.

Note....to Mac users, don't bother to try to use this.  It is Windows OS only.