In Part I of this series, I discussed fiber gloss and fiber semi-gloss inkjet papers, and described how this relatively new class of papers reminded me of vintage or contemporary black-and-white silver gelatin fiber prints. This time, I’d like to take you back a bit further in photographic history to discuss the type of papers that initially made me fall in love with inkjet printing: fine-art matte and watercolor papers.

I'll then share some tips for optimizing print quality when using inkjet-compatible matte and watercolor papers. Along the way, I’ll mention some specific papers I like from among the hundreds available in this category.


Fig 1: A group of prints, all printed on coated fine-art watercolor papers. ©Andrew Darlow, all rights reserved.

Alternative History

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, various printing processes (now known as "alternative processes") evolved. Some of these include cyanotype, Van Dyke brown, and platinum/palladium. The way in which a photographic image was made was by hand-coating a piece of paper, then sandwiching a photographic negative with the paper and exposing it to sunlight or artificial light (usually inside a contact printing frame).

The prints that can be made using these processes are, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful. However, there are drawbacks. Alternative processes often require the use of toxic chemicals, hand coating paper is not an exact science, and, as with many darkroom processes, you never know what your prints will look like until they dry completely. Also, unless you shoot with a large format camera, the process requires an enlarged negative to be created if you want prints larger than a few inches in width.

The Best of Both Worlds

With so many inkjet-compatible fine art matte/watercolor papers and affordable, high quality printers available today, we can achieve a look and feel similar to that of alternative processes, but with the repeatability of a computer-based system. Most of the prints I've made over the last few years on matte and watercolor inkjet papers have been with pigment-based inksets on pro-level printers from three manufacturers–Canon, Epson and HP. As with the fiber gloss/semi-gloss papers, I believe that pigment ink-based printers are currently the best choice for producing prints that yield good to excellent print longevity (up to 300 years+ based on independent longevity testing depending upon the paper and ink combination, as well as the way in which the prints are stored or displayed).

Although most people who make fine-art inkjet prints prefer pigment-based printers, some of the newest dye-based inks, especially the new Claria ink set from Epson, have been shown in preliminary tests to perform well with matte and watercolor papers. (Visit wilhelm-research.com for more information about the estimated longevity of many different inks, papers and printers.)

What makes this class of papers work so well with inkjet printers are special coatings that hold the ink close to the surface so that the ink does not spread out very much (known as dot gain). These coatings also improve the contrast, color saturation, detail and sharpness of ink on matte papers in a way similar to what is achievable on semi-gloss and gloss prints. Some photographers and other artists use traditional watercolor papers without any special coatings, and results can be very good, but in most cases, they will not match the color density or level of detail of papers that are specially coated for inkjet printing. Other photographers hand-coat matte and watercolor papers with inkjet-receptive coatings such as inkAID, and I've seen some impressive results with these processes.

The Name Game

In the world of inkjet printing, there’s no clear difference between "matte" and "watercolor" paper, but many people consider light- to medium-weight machine-made papers (manufactured on a roll, like copy paper) as matte papers, and mouldmade papers (similar to traditional watercolor papers, usually medium to heavyweight) as watercolor papers. Both types are generally considered fine-art as long as they are acid and lignen-free. (Lignen is an acidic part of wood pulp, and can contribute to the yellowing of paper.)

The term acid-free is used to describe paper or canvas that is "basic," with a pH level of 7 or higher. Many inkjet papers, whether made from 100% cotton rag (made purely from cotton fibers, and no wood) or alpha-cellulose (made from wood pulp), are acid- and lignen-free. To make sure that this is the case, check the material specs on the box carefully.

A subject of much debate with regard to inkjet paper is the issue of OBAs (Optical Brightening Agents). OBAs are clear or white dyes that are used to make papers appear whiter under visible light. There are certainly advantages to using papers without OBAs because in theory, they should not visually shift in color (usually toward yellow) when viewed over time as quickly as papers containing OBAs.

Most vintage darkroom black and white fiber papers contained (and still contain) OBAs, and inkjet papers containing OBAs are far more prevalent than those without OBAs. OBAs are used primarily because the surface can be made to appear brighter and more white than in comparable papers without OBAs. Many papers without OBAs are labeled "natural" and they generally have a slightly off-white appearance. A test for OBAs can be done quite easily by viewing a print under a fluorescent "black light" bulb in a dark room. If the paper does not glow at all, there are probably no OBAs in the paper or coating.

Some companies, such as Hahnemühle, only add OBAs to their base papers, and not their coatings. Hahnemühle has a press release available that describes its stance on the subject. Another press release can be found here. Other observations and opinions can be found on wilhelm-research.com and by doing a web search for “inkjet OBAs.” As with most debates like this, much can be learned from independent testing, your own testing, and the experiences of others.

FIVE TIPS

1. Consider the paper’s weight and surface texture

Most inkjet papers are usually measured in gsm (grams per square meter). A medium-weight matte or watercolor inkjet paper is about 250gsm. Heavier papers are often good choices when making large prints, since they will often be able to sit flat under a mat in a frame without having to be mounted. Some heavier weight papers will need to be fed from the back of your printer, or in some cases won’t feed at all, so do some research before purchasing a specific paper.


Fig 2: A sheet of Hahnemühle Museum Etching (350gsm), being fed from the back of an HP Designjet Z3100. Museum Etching is slightly textured, slightly off-white, has no OBAs, and is one of my favorite coated watercolor papers. Another very high quality paper that’s smoother than Museum Etching (also with no OBAs), and available in four weights, from 205gsm to a super-thick, matboard-like 500gsm version is Premier Imaging Products Smooth Hot Press paper.

As far as texture is concerned, a full spectrum of surface textures is available, ranging from silky smooth to very rough–like traditional cold press watercolor papers. In my opinion, photos that include people (especially close-ups of faces) generally look best on smooth and slightly textured papers, and landscapes, flowers and abstracts really stand out on medium- to heavily-textured papers.


Fig 3: I’ve made multiple test prints of the image shown above, "Roses are Red… ," on Hahnemühle Photo Rag coated fine-art watercolor paper. Printers used to make the prints include an Epson Stylus Photo R2400 (13-inch width), Epson Stylus Pro 7600 (24-inch width) and Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5000 (17-inch width). I’ve also output the same image on a similar fine-art paper, HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper on an HP Photosmart Pro B9180 (13-inch width). Papers that have just a hint of texture, like the two mentioned here, are ideal for reproducing portraits, and tend to give images a greater sense of sharpness when compared side-by-side with prints made on very smooth papers. ©Andrew Darlow, all rights reserved.

2. Look for sample packs.

Look for sample packs of paper or swatch books from different companies so that you can test their product without making a large investment. For example, Pennsylvania-based Hawk Mountain Papers produces an impressive line of acid-free single- and double-sided art papers. The company offers three different “Starter Packs” with between 26 and 30 sheets each (most of them 11x17 inches in size). Each pack is affordably priced, and every pack also includes a coupon for future orders that nearly matches the initial cost of the sample packs.

I’ve also purchased a number of sample packs from Inkjet Art Solutions, based in Salt Lake City, UT. Their site sells many different sampler packs of matte and watercolor papers from companies including Crane’s, Epson, Illuminata, Innova, InkPress, and its own Inkjet Art branded paper. The site is also a very good resource for information about many different matte and watercolor papers.

Another company with well-packaged, affordable sample packs (most letter-size) of gloss/semi-gloss, matte and fine-art papers is Red River Paper, based in Dallas, TX.

3. Test with a standard image and use profiles

Every printer and paper is different, so I recommend testing with a standard image, such as the files available on my site. I also recommend checking to see what profiles come loaded with your printer’s driver, and I would visit the paper manufacturers’ websites to see if additional profiles are available for your specific printer and papers. By printing the same image on a paper at a few different quality levels (set in the driver), you’ll be able to see which settings work best. Often, a profile made by the printer manufacturer for a popular paper like Epson Enhanced Matte on an Epson printer such as the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 will also produce great-looking prints when used to print on other matte or watercolor papers.

I’ve found that good custom profiles are the best choice because they are tailored to your specific printer, including the paper type, resolution, etc., so I highly recommend either making your own profiles or having them made for you. There are many hardware/software bundled options for making your own printer profiles available from companies including ColorVision and X-Rite, or you can have custom profiles made for your specific printer and paper by companies such as cathysprofiles.com, chromix.com or inkjetart.com for about $25-100 each. The new HP Designjet Z2100 and Z3100 printers are able to make custom profiles using built-in spectrophotometers, which is a very nice feature that works well.


Fig 4: Two calibration charts on top of an HP Designjet Z3100 44-inch wide printer. One was printed on a coated watercolor paper and the other was printed on a semi-gloss paper. Each chart was read using a built-in spectrophotometer located in the printer’s printhead. ©Andrew Darlow, all rights reserved.

4. Consider susceptibility to flaking and scuffing

Flaking and scuffing are two of the primary headaches that I’ve observed with a number of inkjet-compatible matte and watercolor papers. Flaking looks like small pin holes in a paper’s surface, and is usually more apparent in the dark areas of a print. Flaking can often be reduced by brushing the print surface with a drafting brush before printing, but I recommend avoiding papers that are prone to this problem, especially if you will be putting the prints in an album, or in a portfolio where they will be stacked on top of each other. I’ve found that doing my own print tests, and asking others their opinion about flaking and scuffing with specific papers are the best way to avoid spending a lot of time and money on problem papers.


Fig. 5: An example of flaking on the surface of a coated watercolor inkjet print.

Scuffing can occur on the surface of a print from a printer’s wheels, or from touching the paper surface before or after printing. Matting prints is one way to help reduce scuffing and flaking when showing prints. Using acid-free interleaving sheets in books and between individual prints is another way to help reduce scuffing and flaking.

5. Consider coatings

Coating inkjet papers will, in most cases, extend their estimated display life before noticeable fading or color shift occurs. Wilhelm Imaging Research has published the results of multiple accelerated tests that demonstrate the effects that some coatings can have on different matte/watercolor inkjet papers. The specific coatings used in their published tests are PremierArt Print Shield Spray from Premier Imaging Products. I have successfully used PremierArt Print Shield Spray on many papers and recommend it highly. It generally adds some contrast to matte inkjet papers, without leaving streak marks. However, as with any product that contains solvents, it’s important to use a mask in a properly ventilated area.

In conclusion: There are hundreds of papers in this category, and new papers are constantly being introduced. Reading user reviews on discussion groups like PDN’s online forums or the Yahoo!Groups Digital Fine Art group, which I moderate, can also help narrow your search. Ultimately, though, the only way to know if a specific paper matches your style is to test it for yourself. The resources listed below will give you plenty of options to start with!


Fig 6: I’ve printed the image shown above, Dalmatian Contemplation, on a variety of matte and watercolor papers, including Epson Velvet Fine Art paper, a 100% cotton rag paper sold in letter and 13x19-inch size (260gsm). I’ve found Epson Velvet Fine Art paper to be ideal for cool-toned and other monochrome prints, as well as color portraits and landscapes. A similar paper, Somerset Velvet for Epson, is sold in larger sheet and roll sizes. Sheets of Somerset Velvet for Epson are very thick (505gsm), and in roll form, the paper is 255gsm. ©Andrew Darlow, all rights reserved.


Fine-art matte and watercolor papers and manufacturers mentioned in the article:

Crane’s - http://www.crane.com/museo/
Epson Velvet Fine Art paper - http://www.epson.com
Hahnemühle Museum Etching - http://www.hahnemuhle.com
Hahnemühle Photo Rag - http://www.hahnemuhle.com
Hawk Mountain Papers - http://www.hawkmtnartpapers.com
HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper - http://www.hp.com
Illuminata Papers - http://www.inkjetart.com
InkPressPaper – http://www.inkpresspaper.com
Innova Digital Art - http://www.innovaart.com
Premier Imaging Products Smooth Hot Press - http://www.premierimagingproducts.com
Red River Paper – http://www.redriverpaper.com
Somerset Velvet for Epson - http://www.epson.com


Additional resources/companies mentioned in article:

Canon USA – http://www.usa.canon.com
Cathy's Profiles - http://www.cathysprofiles.com
CHROMiX - http://www.chromix.com
ColorVision - http://www.colorvision.com
Epson America - http://www.epson.com
Hewlett Packard – http://www.hp.com
inkAID (Ontario Specialty Coatings Corporation) - http://www.inkaid.com
Inkjet Art Solutions - http://www.inkjetart.com
Premier Imaging Products – http://www.premierimagingproducts.com
Wilhelm Imaging Research - http://www.wilhelm-research.com
X-Rite - http://www.x-rite.com

Andrew Darlow is a photographer and digital imaging consultant based in the New York City area. He is editor of The Imaging Buffet, an online resource with news, reviews, and interviews covering the subjects of digital photography, printing, and imaging. His new book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques (published by Thomson/Course Technology), covers a wide range of digital printing topics. His Inkjet & Imaging Tips Newsletter is available free to subscribers on his website.