Paper Recommendations for B&W

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Name
James
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Morning All,

I was wondering if you could recommend some paper for printing black and white images, I'm currently Permajet Oyster as my 'go-to' paper but I'd like to try out some others. My original plan was to go with Permajet Titanium but as I've only tried Permajet and Canon papers I feel like I'm missing out on a whole world of different results.

The images in question were posted in this thread to give you an idea of what I want to print. My home printer is a Canon IP8750 which has a max weight of 290gsm.

Any advice / inspiration is hugely appreciated!

James
 
It's a personal thing... Also dependent on budget... Also depends on whether you're prepared to try heavier weight papers in your printer. Might be worth a Google to see if people have done this....

[opinion]
For black & white, I find that matt papers suit a "softer" looking image (which is what I'd consider your images to be).
- St Cuthberts Mill Somerset Photo Satin is my top matt paper choice. It renders colour extremely well so pulls double duty. It's 300gsm though. Not sure if 10 will make a difference :)
- Hahnemuhle German Etching is quite a heavily textured paper and I'm not a massive fan of this, but the quality is incredible and for the right image it's fab. It warms up images slightly, so I'd probably use this more for sepia toned images than anything I wanted to be true black & white. Again 300gsm.
- Fotospeed Platinum Etching is the budget option if price is a consideration. Also has a texture that may or may not be an issue for you. I find that these softer images work best without a texture but YMMMV. 285gsm so also a safer option.
- Marrutt Archival Matt - Super cheap, super smooth and excellent rendition of shadow detail (which your images don't have a lot of). 230gsm too so easily fits in your printer.

If you want a non-matt finish...
- Canson Platine Fibre Rag is my absolute favourite go-to paper. 310gsm though. :(
- Permajet FB Mono Gloss Baryta is a very nice non-matt paper for black & white (it was designed for that) but at 320gsm is more than I'd risk in your printer.
- Ilford Gold Fibre Gloss is a very nice all-round paper that is listed as 310gsm but feels a lot thinner than other papers at that weight. And Ilford are pretty good at black & white so it'll be good for your images. It';s the closest thing I could find to an inkjet version of their darkroom paper.
Sub 300gsm papers I've tried and thought were good, are...
- Fotospeed Platinum Gloss Art Fibre. Great for black & white but it has OBAs (optical brighteners) that can cool your image - think the "bluey white" of Persil if you remember the ads :)
- Fotospeed Platinum Lustre has been my contact sheet paper for a while because it's relatively cheap and gives excellent rendition of both colour and monochrome images.
[/opinion]
 
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Awesome, thanks for that detailed reply. I've just found out that the printer limit is actually 300gsm.

My preference would be for a non-matt lustre type finish but that said, that's only because I'm used to printing on a lustre finish. I was looking at the Hahnemüle papers but some of them are way over my budget (my budget being £60 for A3+).

I'm just looking through the Canson range on Fotospeed but there are so many options!

What online stores do you use for photo paper? The only one I know of is Fotospeed.

James
 
on-linepaper.co.uk is my 1st stop. Then I usually check a couple of other places. Paper Spectrum is one, Amazon, eBay etc. Permajet & Fotospeed have their own shops I think. Also Marritt have their own store.

There are a lot of options that's for sure. If you just want a recommendation, then take mine above, but if you want to go down your own rabbit hole, consider ordering some sample packs and doing test prints.
 
on-linepaper.co.uk is my 1st stop. Then I usually check a couple of other places. Paper Spectrum is one, Amazon, eBay etc. Permajet & Fotospeed have their own shops I think. Also Marritt have their own store.

There are a lot of options that's for sure. If you just want a recommendation, then take mine above, but if you want to go down your own rabbit hole, consider ordering some sample packs and doing test prints.

I think I'll be taking one of your recommendations, with Christmas coming up and an ink refill on the cards (for the 3rd time this year) I haven't got the spare cash to be ordering lots of test packs.

James
 
For a wide selection, I use PremierInk or for a more limited choice (but often better prices), 7dayshop.

I have pretty much settled on Ilford Galerie, usually their Smooth Gloss but I almost always print colour rather than B&W.

TBH, Ian's suggestion of test packs is a good one, even if it does mean splashing out a few quid.
 
For a wide selection, I use PremierInk or for a more limited choice (but often better prices), 7dayshop.

I have pretty much settled on Ilford Galerie, usually their Smooth Gloss but I almost always print colour rather than B&W.

TBH, Ian's suggestion of test packs is a good one, even if it does mean splashing out a few quid.

I think that may well be the way forward. I tried out the Permajet Titanium Lustre paper I have last night and found that I didn't really like it.

James
 
If you don't want to go all in on a test pack, you could see if the company will send you a sample. I picked these up at the photography show and they've been really useful to rule out lots of papers that just *feel* bad to the touch. They're smaller than a packet of cigs.

IMG_1219.jpg
 
I haven't tried very many different papers yet, but I have tried the Permajet Titanium. With some images I feel it has really added to them, for example one with lots of reflections on the sea giving it a truly metallic look. On others it is not really noticeable. It's not one I would think of for using with portraits.
 
Test packs may be helpful as suggested, but I would also think seeing sample printed images in a store can be even more informative.

It all very much depends on the style of image.

I would suggest focusing on these 3 types:
* PhotoRag and it's competitors
* Aquarelle type papers (such as Canson or innova IFA13)
* Baryta

Certainly skip any generic glossy, lustre or resin coated versions as these tend to look cheaper, a bit like from a high street lab.

I think that may well be the way forward. I tried out the Permajet Titanium Lustre paper I have last night and found that I didn't really like it.

James

I have no idea what that paper may be for. In the best case it would end up looking like generic lustre for colourful shot, in the worst - awful.

If you are looking for decent metallic paper - Hahnemuhle is the one to go for. Sihl may be a cheaper alternative if you are willing to try. All else - don't bother. These are obviously only for colourful images, with lots of shiny reflective surfaces.
 
Thanks all for the replies, I haven't forgotten about the thread. It's a bit hectic at the moment but as soon as I get a chance I'll take the time to reply to the posts properly.

James
 
Thanks for all the informative replies. Based on those it seems that a matt paper would best suit my images. I'll have a look around for swatches and will order some small sample prints. Looking at the wall space I think they'll be A4 at the absolute most so that should drive cost down considerably.

James
 
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