When putting it down on paper, it’s gotta look good!
Back in the late 1980’s thru the early 1990’s, Kodak made a graded photographic paper called Elite Fine Art. It was a paper of triple thickness, deep blacks, bright whites and it took selenium toning like no other paper I ever used. The paper had everything going for it, except it was at least 30% more expensive than the other papers I was using in the darkroom.
If processed correctly, which included development, stop bath, two fixing baths, hypo clearing agent, toning, then about an hour wash, Elite Fine Art created some of the most beautiful black and white photographs I ever made. What made this paper so good was not only the bright highlights, deep shadows and rich blacks, but also the feel of the paper. The triple thickness accomplished two goals, first when you held it in your hands it felt substantial and thick. Secondly, that thick substrate, according to Kodak, would enhance the archival qualities of the print.
What to Look For In a Photo Paper
Today’s fine art inkjet papers are varied in weight, tone, surface and paper base. So what are we supposed to look for when we are making high quality photographic prints?
Different papers are made of different stuff. Resin coated papers (RC) have a wood pulp base paper sandwiched between to pieces of polyethyne with a photo emulsion on top. The emulsion is a porous receiving layer that lets ink adhere to the paper without spreading out. The RC papers have had a reputation of not being very stable. Early versions have turned a bronze color when exposed to normal viewing conditions over a long period of time. Research suggest the life of RC prints is now considerable longer, but more work needs be done before the fine art market will fully accept resin coated prints.
Most paper we use today is fiber based wood pulp. They have a high content of lignin that makes the paper darker and more rigid. To make a fine art paper, the lignin needs to be removed by chemicals or bleached to get a bright white paper. Without this expensive process light would interact with the lignin, breaking it down and your print would become darker.
What Is the Best Paper To Use For Your Photographs
The best choice is a cotton rag, a natural fiber and low in lignin. The alpha-cellulose in the paper creates strong paper that’s not brittle and is bright white. It holds up well over time and because it’s insoluble, moisture has very little effect on the paper.
Recently I got to see Hahnemuehle Photo Rag Baryta. It’s thick (315 grams per square meter), has a lustre finish and very slight texture. A printed image on this paper reminds of that great Kodak Elite Fine Art paper from a couple of decades ago. I think I’m going to have to give this paper a try!
I want to thank my friend Leona Strassberg Steiner of Bywater Fine Art Printing for asking a question about paper that I didn’t know the answer to. It’s because of her that we have this post.