Seems like I can never quite settle on a fine art/photo paper for display. Been using Moab Entrada Bright which is quite nice, but now looking for a higher color gamut and dmax, for some images. Thus, I have tried a few Baryta papers and Epson Exhibition Fibre. For my own use, i mount to MDF board. For competitions and sales to friends, I sometimes go commercial and plaque mount.
With that background, for the "naked" displays, the archival quality and surface texture are most important than an image that will be laminated for a plaque mount. Just curious for those who plaque their work for sale, what they found is the best overall fine art paper? Glossy, matte, semigloss, etc. I have also read that the laminates used can interfere with the image quality slightly.
On a related note, I was quite impressed with the dmax and color gamut of the Epson Exhibition Fibre. Really impressive paper, but there are some questions about archival longevity. The finish is also susceptible to scratches I noticed. The Breathing Color's Vibrance Baryta was also quite impressive and what appears to be a durable surface and no OBAs. The one paper I haven't tired that receives good reviews is the Canson Baryta. Seems to be a good compromise with quality and cost. Ilford's Gold Fibre silk is also a great paper, but it much more expensive these days.
Posted by Brett Deacon on April 15, 2014 at 10:47 AM
Hi Ken. For what it's worth, I print exclusively on Crane Museo Silver Rag (a semigloss paper) and love it. When combined with plaque mounting and satin laminate (done by the amazing folks at Duraplaq Distribution), the colors really pop, the blacks are deep, and there is very little sheen or glare. Customers in the two galleries where I display my prints seem to really like the look of this paper and framing combination. The paper is also unusually stiff which makes crimping much less likely than some other papers when handling prints, especially big ones. I haven't conducted controlled tests with other papers in some time and can't speak to how Silver Rag compares to newer offerings from Epson et al.
Ken, I use Canson Baryta Photographique for color and love it, especially for photographs behind glass or mounted (i.e. Duraplaq). I also use their Platine Fiber Rag for B&W, especially smaller hand-held prints. These two papers are unique and do not make the same print but are both excellent, in my experience, and easy to work with via Canson's profiles. Both papers are 310 and feel great. highly recommend giving either a shot, with a nod toward the Photographique as the easier to of the two, especially for color.
Discussion
3 repliesWith that background, for the "naked" displays, the archival quality and surface texture are most important than an image that will be laminated for a plaque mount. Just curious for those who plaque their work for sale, what they found is the best overall fine art paper? Glossy, matte, semigloss, etc. I have also read that the laminates used can interfere with the image quality slightly.
On a related note, I was quite impressed with the dmax and color gamut of the Epson Exhibition Fibre. Really impressive paper, but there are some questions about archival longevity. The finish is also susceptible to scratches I noticed. The Breathing Color's Vibrance Baryta was also quite impressive and what appears to be a durable surface and no OBAs. The one paper I haven't tired that receives good reviews is the Canson Baryta. Seems to be a good compromise with quality and cost. Ilford's Gold Fibre silk is also a great paper, but it much more expensive these days.