For matte paper I for now decided to settle on Hahnemühle’s Photo Rag 308 paper, without having tested any of their alternatives. For these reasons I wanted to focus on glossy papers first and bought two Glossy FineArt sample packs in A4, which gave me four sheets of each of their glossy paper. In my eyes prints on glossy paper also resemble more what I see on the screen, so for me as a beginner they were easier to work with. My black and white images usually make full use of the available tonal range, and I felt the deeper blacks and higher perceived contrast that glossy papers offer suits them better. My previous printing experience using print shops was almost exclusively with glossy or luster paper. Each of them is available in A4, A3+ or 8.5”x11” and contains two sheets of each of their paper that falls into the category of the sample pack. There are three different sample packs, the Glossy FineArt, the Matte FineArt Smooth and Matte FineArt Textured. Hahnemühle offers sample packs, which are a great and inexpensive way to try and test all of their papers. Of course paper from Hahnemühle and similar manufacturers comes at a premium price, but since I only print relatively low volumes for my own use, I was willing to accept these costs. Choosing a well-established manufacturer like Hahnemühle guarantees a stable supply of the same types of paper over a longer period of time. This would also allow me to easily get larger prints done at print shops, on the papers I also use at home. Also I already had some experiences with Hahnemühle paper, since it is offered by most fine art print shops here in Austria. For one, testing all available paper from even a few manufacturers was simply not practical for me. Also Canon and Epson provide their own fine art paper selection, which they get produced by third party manufacturers.Īfter buying my printer I quickly made the decision to only focus on Hahnemühle paper for multiple reasons. Some of them like Hahnemühle or Canson have been in the business of making paper for hundreds of years, other like Moab are relatively newcomers. There are numerous suppliers of fine art inkjet papers. Focusing on a small number of papers for different purposes will allow you to get to know their property and handling well, and is also practical given the costs of building up a stock of paper.Ĭhoosing Hahnemühle as Paper Manufacturer If you are starting into printing, I would generally recommend to initially test and experiment a number of papers, but then finally limit your choice to between two and four papers. It is an extension and further artistic element of the photographic process and choosing the right paper complements and enhances the style and mood of your images. Your choice of paper is not based on technical parameters, but more a matter of personal preferences. The feel, visible texture and finish of high-end paper contributes a lot to the joy of seeing and feeling your images as physical prints. While choosing a printer and finding a printing workflow were rather mundane, technical steps on the way into the world of printing, testing and selecting different types of fine art paper was much more emotional and fun. Choosing Paper from Hahnemühle’s Glossy FineArt Collection
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