Articles on inkjet photo printing

[Manfred M]

Here are links to seven articles by print maker Cheryl Walsh on the Pro Edu website blog. Pro Edu produces high end specialty tutorials that will likely not appeal to most members here as the are advanced and expensive. Cheryl is a Canson Ambassador, so there is definitely a bias towards those papers.



Inkjet Papers - In a sea of choices how to find true love

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/inkjet...097eb750&_ss=r



10 Common Misconceptions in Inkjet Printing

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/10-com...e62c5511&_ss=r[/B]


6 Steps to a Perfect Inkjet Print - an algorithm for personal happiness


https://proedu.com/blogs/news/6-step...e62c5511&_ss=r




Archival Permanence: The Truth About The Deception

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/archiv...e62c5511&_ss=r




Introduction to Fine Art Printing for Photographers - a Tale of Love, Heartbreak, Redemption, and Science

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/introd...e62c5511&_ss=r



Choosing A Printer is Probably the Single Most Important Decision of Your Life

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/choosi...e62c5511&_ss=r



Color Management for Photographers Who Are Terrified of It

https://proedu.com/blogs/news/color-...e62c5511&_ss=r


Her comments on the value of a custom printer profile and misunderstanding of the ProPhoto RGB colour space when it comes to photo quality inkjet printers are both very easy to challenge.

[Donald]

Excellent links. Will have a look at Pro Edu.

[Astro]

thanks Manfred!

[DanK]

Manfred,

Thanks for posting. They are useful links.

As you know, I use Canson papers, so I wasn't surprised by her positive comments about them, but I did find one thing in that post puzzling. She refers to Platine Fiber Rag as the "overall best inkjet paper" and to Baryta Prestige as the "best photo paper." Given that the entire post is about printing photos on inkjets, I found that distinction a bit puzzling.

You and I have talked about Platine and the other barytas, Baryta Photographique I and II. I spent a long time dithering over test prints with Platine and BP I; I found them very similar and can't reconstruct entirely why I chose BP I. I haven't printed on Prestige, but I supposedly have a sample en route and will let you know once I have tried it.

Dan

[Manfred M]

Manfred,

Thanks for posting. They are useful links.

As you know, I use Canson papers, so I wasn't surprised by her positive comments about them, but I did find one thing in that post puzzling. She refers to Platine Fiber Rag as the "overall best inkjet paper" and to Baryta Prestige as the "best photo paper." Given that the entire post is about printing photos on inkjets, I found that distinction a bit puzzling.

You and I have talked about Platine and the other barytas, Baryta Photographique I and II. I spent a long time dithering over test prints with Platine and BP I; I found them very similar and can't reconstruct entirely why I chose BP I. I haven't printed on Prestige, but I supposedly have a sample en route and will let you know once I have tried it.

Dan

Dan - She's a "Canson Ambassador" , so her promoting Canson papers is not at all surprising.

The one area that I have an issue with with most authors is when they cross the line and start confusing opinion with fact. I feel she does that in a number of places, but it is not so bad that it invalidates most of what she has written. I've started printing with Platine (I've used both the Epson and Canson versions). At this point, I don't like it as much as some of the other papers that I use, but need to run off around 10 or 12 prints to better understand the paper. I also prefer Baryta Photographique; mainly because I like the way that shadow detail is handled with that paper. I look forward to seeing how the Photographique II works, if it ever arrives..

There is no "best" paper in my opinion. It's more about the papers I like working with and the characteristics of the image itself when printed on a specific paper. One of my printing mentors primarily prints on Epson papers and the other loves the Ilford line.

Most custom printers suggest that a photographer has at least two "go to" papers; one luster and one cotton rag and other papers to experiment on. My "go to" papers have been the Canson Infinity Baryta (I've used virtually nothing else over the past month or so, with the exception of testing the Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag. When it comes to my "go to" cotton rag, it's been Epson Hot Press Bright for the past 18 months; the Dmax is amazing for a matte paper. I still prefer using the Epson Hot Press Natural for portraits; it is very similar to Hot Press Bright (weight and texture) but without the optical brighteners, so it gives a slightly warmer tone that I like for portraits.

[DanK]

I agree; there's no best paper. But I often find it interesting to read what attributes lead a printer to rank that way. I know she's a Canson ambassador, but I still find it interesting what attributes she mentions to buttress her choices. The reason I referenced her two comments about "best" papers wasn't about her selecting a best. It is that I can't see the distinction between the best overall and best photo when the entire article is about photos.

My go-to papers have been Canson Baryta Photographique and Canson Ra Photographique, although I am thinking of replacing the latter with something with a bit more texture. That's why the change from BP I to BPII matters so much to me; that paper accounts for almost all of my serious printing.

[Manfred M]

I agree; there's no best paper. But I often find it interesting to read what attributes lead a printer to rank that way. I know she's a Canson ambassador, but I still find it interesting what attributes she mentions to buttress her choices. The reason I referenced her two comments about "best" papers wasn't about her selecting a best. It is that I can't see the distinction between the best overall and best photo when the entire article is about photos.

My go-to papers have been Canson Baryta Photographique and Canson Ra Photographique, although I am thinking of replacing the latter with something with a bit more texture. That's why the change from BP I to BPII matters so much to me; that paper accounts for almost all of my serious printing.

I agree Dan, her choice of language is likely the issue here, She uses the word "best" too many times and in too many different contexts. I'm confused by her "best overall inkjet paper", "best matte paper", "best velvet paper" and "best photo paper"; huh?? A bit more clarity in her writing would be useful.

Whenever she uses the word "best", I think she should be saying "my favourite" instead. That would make more sense to me.