Don't think I've had anything printed on Chromata White since Lyve came out. Can't beat the increased gamut and Dmax. Canvas isn't my favourite substrate texture-wise, but it's hard to argue with it for durability and longevity on open display.
What do you mean by 'heavy'? Isn't that generally a good thing, durability-wise? I'd print on 32oz denim if they made it inkjet-compatible...
Why Glamour II? Ease of use and self-levelling? Granted, I'd probably use it too, if it contained UV inhibitors...
I would prefer a medium weight canvas for ease of stretching. I want something that can hold the inks well, be extra archival, but be relatively easy to stretch, and will hold throughout the seasons and years.
I prefer Glamour II for the reasons you mention. I developed a special formula for rolling it on years ago which involved heating the distilled water. It was the best coating I've ever seen in that configuration. I now send my canvases out to a great guy who does super work. We worked out a coating that is just right with Matte and Gloss mixture sprayed. I like the finish but he doesn't like to stretch my work because of the mirrored edges and pickiness of his client... What can I say, the work has to be right. Thank goodness he humors me and just charges extra to do my work. This is MUCH appreciated.
I've found myself printing less and less paper over the last few years, and more and more of everything else. In most cases, this has to be outsourced.
I like paper. For almost any photo, there is at least one, often many, papers on which it stands out. In many cases, it brings out the photo better than any other medium. But, by the time you surround it with a mat, put it in a frame and cover it with glass, much of the aesthetic and appeal of paper is lost, and you're left with an object that doesn't really fit in many of todays urban, minimalist interiors. And, unfortunately, there's no surface coating or treatment on the market that can make printed paper as tough as canvas or dye-sub aluminium without changing its appearance, to make it suitable for frameless display. If there was some suitable treatment available - say, something that printed paper could be soaked in to plasticise it - I'd be printing a lot more of it. But, faced with the choice of a beautiful paper print hidden behind glass, in a setting where a frameless image would look better, or a canvas or aluminium print that, while not as appealing when you're close enough to see and appreciate the texture and substrate, is much more impactful when viewing the whole, frameless work on the wall, I'd take the latter almost every time.
I find that paper is critical in understanding the nuances of an edited file. I print several prints of one file making corrections and subtle changes. Having paper in hand is critical for my portfolio. It is what sells the print. In Paris during the impressionist period of painting, Japanese pottery was sent over using Ukiyo-e prints as packing. These prints got around to many artist, VanGogh and Gaugin, lots of others, who became enamored of the handmade print. The tactility of the image hand printed on handmade paper just blew these guys away. This became an important influence - the designs, the images, the hand made qualities, the iron wire techniques, etc.
I do agree, that a Dye Sub print on Ultra Gloss or whatever is impactful. It is in many cases the best for locking in the exact manner of representing work. But a print is intimate. It can be walked to different light sources, which makes the print impart a sense of ownership to the viewer holding it, via their participation. They can control one aspect of viewing - the way they want to see it-- their way.
I wonder what the solution is. Maybe textured, white-pigmented metal printed with UV inks or via some sort of pigment-transfer process, with imprinted surface textures identical to those of various fine-art papers? Hahnemuhle Torchon or Canson Etching Edition aluminium might just work...
They seem to have the most lightfast inkjet coating out there, as well as substrates that compete with the best from the long-established paper mills in terms of quality (if not variety). Hahnemuhle does pretty well too. Canson produces beautiful papers, but seem to be lacking a bit longevity-wise - I order a lot of black-and-white carbon on them (especially Etching and Platine) but prefer something with a higher longevity rating for colour. The other big plus is that the matte papers work very well with both Timeless and Glamour II, unlike the offerings from Canson and Hahnemuhle. Shipping to Australia costs a bundle, though.
Yeah, this is a tough one. Always in search of the ultimate to be able to exhibit the image in the ultimate form.
Ernst Dinkla, who I respect very much, mentioned a technique he used, with sandwiches of glazing and a white layer behind.
His approach is earlier in this thread.
If you think about milky white plexi-glass, if there was just some way to infuse an image into it, just as an image is infused into the aluminum with dye-sub, that could be the answer, at least for me. I dream of an image that becomes part of the material, in this case milky white acrylic sheets that can be back-lit, or hung in a window, or just lit from behind somehow.
It would be interesting to see the image with a sandblasted, frosted face, as a matte surface somehow.
I'm sure it can be done, it just isn't available commercially yet. I wonder if it can be done with the heat press transfer process, then have another acrylic sheet laminated and heat pressed. Now that would be interesting....