Printing Monochrom Images

[fotografr]

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Brent

Thanks for starting this thread-There is so much info about printing that never gets much play here.

 

If you go to the Canson Infinity site and look under tools and tips you will find icc profiles for your printer-click to download...

 

For Jeff S and others..note that Canson does not say whether Baryta Photographique uses OBA's or not.so assume they it contains OBA's. If you look at Platine Fiber Rag you will note they specifically say no OBA"s...Also Baryta Photographique is a alpha cellulose paper..this means its not 100% cotton, and therefore needs to use OBA's..Of the BARYTA surface, only Plantine is 100% cotton, the preferred and only type papers that meet museum standards..

 

Regarding Hahnemuhel Baryta papers, only Photo Rag Baryta is 100% cotton, as are the other rag surfaces.

 

Artists use Arches, Rives, etc for watercolor and drawings as these are 100% cotton. There is not much cost difference between 100% and cellulose ( which can be clothes, wood, etc ).

so it is something to consider if you are concerned about maximum permanence..

 

Go luck with your printing Brent-you're on the right track..Mikemikephaling.com

 

Thanks, Mike. I've learned more about printing b&w in the last couple of days than in the previous couple of years.

[Jeff S]

Thanks, Mike. I've learned more about printing b&w in the last couple of days than in the previous couple of years.

 

You might want to spend some time browsing the Digital PP section of the forum, where these topics are routinely discussed. In addition to user experiences, there is a wealth of other printed and online information available, a lot of which is referenced in the various threads.

 

Jeff

[fotografr]

Thanks, Jeff. I've just been browsing through some threads there.

 

One question I don't see addressed there and maybe someone can answer it here: I have downloaded the ICC profile for the Canson paper, and have manually put it in the proper place (I'm on a PC), which is \Windows\system 32\spool\drivers\color. Having done that, how do I get my printer to find the profile? The paper still isn't showing up in my list of available media in the print dialog.

[Avatar]

B/W prints beautifully on this paper. As you've probably learned, however, the process of switching papers isn't "plug and play." Results can not only be image specific, and of course dependent on good software editing and processing, but can be affected significantly by software and printer settings, profiles, inks, etc. The whole chain needs to be optimized, and often that comes from trial and error. My print results continually improve, even printing the same image on the same paper over time.

 

For this reason, just as in my darkroom days, I try not to use or change too many papers at a given time. There are just too many factors involved, and learning the materials and techniques can be exponentially complicated by introducing too many variables at once. But having all the good choices available these days is a good problem to have.

 

Jeff

 

Yes, I am printing the same images on the same paper trying out different processes and results are improving. I had decided awhile back not to try different papers until I was satisfied with the results with Inkpress or Epson Luster..and I am happy overall.

 

I have one particular image that is unusually challenging to me in post production and in printing..it's driving me a bit nuts..so much so that I have to back off from it for awhile..

 

I am experimenting with it so much that I had to stop and ask myself what exactly do I want the image to look like..Its complex light and not a more typical image that I usually shoot on the street.

 

I'm expecting the paper you recommended to come in today and look forward to trying it..

[Avatar]

Thanks, Jeff. I've just been browsing through some threads there.

 

One question I don't see addressed there and maybe someone can answer it here: I have downloaded the ICC profile for the Canson paper, and have manually put it in the proper place (I'm on a PC), which is \Windows\system 32\spool\drivers\color. Having done that, how do I get my printer to find the profile? The paper still isn't showing up in my list of available media in the print dialog.

 

I had the same experience recently when I installed ICC profiles for Inkpress Luster...it turned out that they were there all along but I didn't see them as they were not in the alphabetical order I had expected..This is probably no help but thought I'd share.

[Jeff S]

 

I have one particular image that is unusually challenging to me in post production and in printing..it's driving me a bit nuts..so much so that I have to back off from it for awhile..

 

I am experimenting with it so much that I had to stop and ask myself what exactly do I want the image to look like..Its complex light and not a more typical image that I usually shoot on the street.

 

 

Yep, it's not uncommon, even for folks back in the darkroom days, to struggle with a given image over many years. I have. Sometimes a solution presents itself, either based on technology or through one's own ability, and sometimes not.

 

It's also not uncommon to reinterpret a given image over time, and just decide to give it a different look. I've posted before on Ansel's Moonrise prints, which as you see here changed significantly over a 34 year period (much to the delight of the buying public, who seem to prefer drama and contrast...I prefer the earlier versions).

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

Jeff

[Photoskeptic]

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Thanks, Jeff. I've just been browsing through some threads there.

 

One question I don't see addressed there and maybe someone can answer it here: I have downloaded the ICC profile for the Canson paper, and have manually put it in the proper place (I'm on a PC), which is \Windows\system 32\spool\drivers\color. Having done that, how do I get my printer to find the profile? The paper still isn't showing up in my list of available media in the print dialog.

 

Brent, it should show up automatically. They are usually there under some weird contraction or numerical reference. Look at the last part of the profile and be sure and scroll all the way up and all the way down on the drop down menu.

[vdb]

I'm not hearing anyone talk about Moab papers? Anyone with experience?

[kirkwilliam3]

Virgil

Moab has an extensive site...lots of papers plus archival storage boxes !! I will research this site myself tonight.

 

I haven't tried Moab papers myself...my criteria for a paper is 100% cotton, ph of 7.5 or better..acid free ( very important trait if you use alpha cellulose bas ), Calcium carbonate buffered, and no optical brightness., and Baryta type surface.. These are good traits for a fine art printing paper, though everyone has their own individual requirements.

 

Matt papers are more readily available as 100% cotton..check out the spec sheets on Moabs site and see why looks to meet your requirements. Establishing end use of the paper saves a lot of unnecessary experimenting, i.e.,for keepsake photos, passing out to friends, fine art, ,maximum permanence, finest look for either color or B and w or both.

 

In general I have heard good things about Moab..

 

Mikemikephaling.com

[Avatar]

Yep, it's not uncommon, even for folks back in the darkroom days, to struggle with a given image over many years. I have. Sometimes a solution presents itself, either based on technology or through one's own ability, and sometimes not.

 

It's also not uncommon to reinterpret a given image over time, and just decide to give it a different look. I've posted before on Ansel's Moonrise prints, which as you see here changed significantly over a 34 year period (much to the delight of the buying public, who seem to prefer drama and contrast...I prefer the earlier versions).

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

Jeff

 

I just looked at the link and saw the changes of Moonlight over the years..So I guess I can change my image as i feel it over time..I have one print that has almost a sepia look (not really but towards that feel) that image was working on by the person who helped me learn how to process and print...I started to really not like it and don't have the unlayered file and can't adjust it as I want...the one I processed is a tad toward 'blue'..and this is just a small part of the challenge..the rest is in how I want to adjust shadows and reflections and light...I'm baffled...it's almost funny...Maybe I'll post the image tomorrow but it's off topic as it was taken with an M9...

 

thanks for the link and comments..I am really starting to focus more and more on PP, including printing of course and organization which is another story.

[otto.f]

EPSON 3800 with Hahnemühle Baryta 325 for color, which works fine but not excellent. Next box will be Canson, because it is dramatically sharper.

HARMAN Warmtone Baryt 320 for B&W, which is excellent for me because I can come very close to Record Rapid and Portriga Rapid in tone.

[erudolph]

Does anyone have opinions about other aspects of the look of prints, such as gloss differential and the surface texture of the paper? IOW, which inkjet papers on close examination seem closest to the look of silver gelatin prints?

[Jeff S]

Does anyone have opinions about other aspects of the look of prints, such as gloss differential and the surface texture of the paper? IOW, which inkjet papers on close examination seem closest to the look of silver gelatin prints?

 

Silver prints and inkjet prints are different, so the goal isn't necessarily to create the same look; rather it's to create the best look that one intends. Having said that, the papers I and others mention here, particularly some of the baryta papers from Canson or Hahnemuhle, for instance, are reminiscent in terms of substance (weight, texture, even smell in some cases) of some older papers.

 

For gloss or semi-gloss papers, gloss differential can present an issue in some cases. The Piezography (Cone) system, for instance, offers a gloss optimizer that one uses on a second print pass after the ink has dried to eliminate the effect. It can be quite effective, but the process is more complex and involved than using standard Epson inks.

 

Jeff

[otto.f]

Does anyone have opinions about other aspects of the look of prints, such as gloss differential and the surface texture of the paper? IOW, which inkjet papers on close examination seem closest to the look of silver gelatin prints?

 

I think Canson Baryta version comes closest to the best brands in analog in terms of surface texture and inhibited gloss

[Avatar]

Well, I received the Canson Baryta paper a little while ago and made my first print.

 

I installed the icc profile and printed a recent image I took with the Monochrom that I have printed and loved the way it looked on Epson Luster Paper.

 

Just to start with, I love the feel of this paper, the weight.

 

The print looks wonderful. I need to sit with it for a bit and more carefully compare it to the Epson print under the proper light.

 

At first blush and with only very cursory examination, it does look a bit better. I like it very much.

 

When I deliver a signed print, it's a much better presentation as well. I no longer want to sell framed work as I don't have the room..If it was in a frame and delivered it woudn't matter as much,

 

I like having both papers in my arsenal and as Jeff wisely said, and I agree with, I don't like to make to many changes at the same time.

 

Here's the image I am working with..

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[fotografr]

Well, I received the Canson Baryta paper a little while ago and made my first print.

 

I installed the icc profile and printed a recent image I took with the Monochrom that I have printed and loved the way it looked on Epson Luster Paper.

 

Just to start with, I love the feel of this paper, the weight.

 

The print looks wonderful. I need to sit with it for a bit and more carefully compare it to the Epson print under the proper light.

 

At first blush and with only very cursory examination, it does look a bit better. I like it very much.

 

When I deliver a signed print, it's a much better presentation as well. I no longer want to sell framed work as I don't have the room..If it was in a frame and delivered it woudn't matter as much,

 

I like having both papers in my arsenal and as Jeff wisely said, and I agree with, I don't like to make to many changes at the same time.

 

Here's the image I am working with..

 

Would you mind sharing what printer settings you used with the Canson? I should have mine tomorrow.

 

Thanks!

[Avatar]

Great printing day...and love the paper..Had a vague feeling that Jeff S might know what he is talking about.

 

Ordered more just now and also 17 X 22..wish it came 5 X 7!

 

Now that I am examining the prints and paper closely and with a Graphic Lite Viewer, I am surprised that there is a big variance between two boxes of the same paper by Inkpress. One sheet is substantially whiter than the other. The boxes are probably 3 years old but stored in a temperature controlled and good environment. They just are different in brightness in a significant way.

 

I also like handling the heavier Canson paper.

[Chuck Albertson]

I've pretty much settled on the Canson Baryta paper as well, on an Epson 4800 at Photo Center NW that I can rent by the hour. Use the profile downloaded from the Canson Website. The finish is close to the Adox MCC I use for fiber-base printing, maybe a little more luster than MCC.

[wlaidlaw]

In the UK a very reasonably priced Canson sample pack is sold for £6, which gives you 10 different samples of A4 size to try. I will order a couple of boxes of this when I finally get my new Canon Pixma Pro-1 set up. It is currently still sitting in our dining room in its packing crate unconnected, as our house is full of my daughter and family while they are between houses, with my study being used as a grandchild's bedroom. With its 5 separate black/grey cartridges, the Canon should be pretty special for black and white.

 

Wilson

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[Avatar]

Would you mind sharing what printer settings you used with the Canson? I should have mine tomorrow.

 

Thanks!

 

I will tomorrow, wait it is tomorrow...a bit later then..

 

I spent 10 hours processing and printing and editing..

 

So nice to handle this paper...feels substantial and really nice to have your portfolio pieces on this stock..