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Thread: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

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    DanK's Avatar
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    Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    This is a B&W conversion and substantial re-edit of an image from a few years ago:

    Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    It's the first B&W I've printed on a baryta paper (Canson Baryta Photographique), which is now one of my default papers. It looks like a wet-darkroom print. I wish I had some of my Agfa Brovira prints from many decades ago to compare with it, but they all vanished years ago.

    On a whim, I also printed it on Canson Rag Photographique, a very white (but OBA-free), quite smooth matte paper. To my surprise, it looks very nice on the rag paper. On balance, I think I prefer the baryta, but it's not a clear winner.

    Anyway, C&C welcome as always, and if you have thoughts about papers for this sort of image, I'd be interested.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Nice capture and processing, for paper choices Canson Platine is another option as you can print with Matte black even though the paper has a glossy look.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowman View Post
    Nice capture and processing, for paper choices Canson Platine is another option as you can print with Matte black even though the paper has a glossy look.
    I put test prints (color) with Platine and Baryta photgraphique next to each other, and they are very similar. I no longer recall why I chose the latter, but I do remember that it was a hard choice because they were very similar and very appealing.

    I print with a Canon Prograf, so I don't switch black inks. The printer has both installed at all times and uses whatever mix its firmware determines, based on the medium I specify. I haven't read anything to confirm this, but watching the ink-supply monitor, it seems to me that the printer mixes them in some cases--the matte black ink is being consumed, albeit more slowly, even when I print almost entirely on non-matte papers. However, that may be wrong. Whatever it's doing, it works.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Quote Originally Posted by DanK View Post
    I put test prints (color) with Platine and Baryta photgraphique next to each other, and they are very similar. I no longer recall why I chose the latter, but I do remember that it was a hard choice because they were very similar and very appealing.

    I print with a Canon Prograf, so I don't switch black inks. The printer has both installed at all times and uses whatever mix its firmware determines, based on the medium I specify. I haven't read anything to confirm this, but watching the ink-supply monitor, it seems to me that the printer mixes them in some cases--the matte black ink is being consumed, albeit more slowly, even when I print almost entirely on non-matte papers. However, that may be wrong. Whatever it's doing, it works.
    I noticed with my printer LLK, followed by LK; gets used more often regardless of whichever black (photo/matte) is used.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    That scene looks good to me.

    We don't seem to get much choice over papers in the UK.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff F View Post
    That scene looks good to me.

    We don't seem to get much choice over papers in the UK.
    Thanks.

    I looked, and you can get Canson papers on amazon.uk


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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Dan - my first choice would have been a baryta paper too. It has about 1/2 ev more dynamic range than a matte paper. With the bright highlights and deep shadows in this shot, that will probably make a bit of difference in the final print.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Quote Originally Posted by Manfred M View Post
    Dan - my first choice would have been a baryta paper too. It has about 1/2 ev more dynamic range than a matte paper. With the bright highlights and deep shadows in this shot, that will probably make a bit of difference in the final print.
    Manfred,

    That difference is noticeable. In other respects, there is something appealing about the matte print. However, I have to show this tonight, and I'm going to use baryta for the 13 x 19 that I'll show.

    FYI, I'll paste below the partially edited version before I converted to B&W. You can see one of the reasons I converted: different light sources with substantially different color casts. I think I am going to do an increasing share of my urban night photography in B&W, partly for that reason.

    Dan

    Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    I've found that paper now, mixed in among all their drawing/painting paper. Thanks.

    Certainly not cheap when you get to A3 size but I will give it a go next time I am printing something special.

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    Re: Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Platine fibre rag is my go to paper for black and white. With deep blacks and a slight texture to the silk finish it gives the prints some real pop. I'm using a Canon Pro 1 printer.

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    Beacon Hill at night: paper choice

    Quote Originally Posted by Clactonian View Post
    Platine fibre rag is my go to paper for black and white. With deep blacks and a slight texture to the silk finish it gives the prints some real pop. I'm using a Canon Pro 1 printer.
    Unfortunately, I had only one sheet of Platine from a sampler, so I can’t reprint this to compare. However, when I printed a test image, which included true blacks but was a color image, Platine and Baryta Photographique produced very similar prints. I don’t recall why I chose one over the other. I just remember that they were so similar that I had a hard time choosing.

    At some point I should redo this exercise with B&W


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