Buyers’ guide
Make them reel
There’s nothing like holding your printed photographs in your hands, or displaying them for all to see, so get back into printing your images with thismonth’s guide to top quality printers and paper...
PRICE: FROM£22 FOR 50 A4 SHEETS
FUJIFILM.CO.UK
Fujifilm Pro Gloss and Pro Lustre
Canson Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm PRICE: £34.75 FOR 25 A4 SHEETS CANSON-INFINITY.COM which provides excellent image quality, showing deeply saturated colours, crisp highlights and deep blacks. Fujifilm’s Pro Lustre has the same luxurious 295gsmweight and fast drying time, and its lustre finish gives amoremuted look than the gloss, and a softer feel.Again, it’s capable of showing great tonal range and fine detail as well as perfectly saturated colours. Both papers are available inA4,A3 andA3+ cut sheet packs of 50, as well as 30m-long 24in and 44in rolls.And, as they’re double sided papers, you can use themwithout worrying about printing on the wrong side, or for pages in DIYphotobooks. Fujifilm is one of the world’s leading suppliers of inkjet media, and as well as producing its papers for professional print labs and photobooths, you can buy them in regular packs for home printing.Two of our favourites are Pro Gloss and Pro Lustre, both of which combine superb print quality with excellent value for money.The 295gsm instant drying Pro Gloss photo paper has a double-sided polyethene coated surface,
THANKS TO THE rise of digital photography, the way we shoot has changed enormously in the last 15 or 20 years – and so has the way we view and share images. These days, photographers are far more likely to show off their work online on their own websites, or on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. But despite the relentless growth in clicks and swipes, prints are still the finest way to appreciate photography. In an increasingly digital world, being able to hold a beautifully printed photo is a tactile pleasure, and it’s been proven again and again that people will spend more time engaging with a physical
print than they do with images on screen. Away from the digital world, if you’re thinking of exhibiting your work, entering a competition or displaying it for distinction panels, printing is absolutely vital, and though there are some brilliant online services out there, there’s nothing like the experience of taking a photo from capture to print yourself. Not only do you have complete control, results are immediate and you can ensure quality is tip-top. Check out this month’s pick of first- class home printing options on these pages, with fantastic print media and superb printers, too.
PRICE: FROM£9 FOR 25 A4 SHEETS TETENALUK.COM
PRICE: £799 MITSUBISHIELECTRIC-PRINTING.COM
Mitsubishi CP-D90DW dye sub printer Though themajority of enthusiasts use
Tetenal Spectrajet Photo Satin 270gsm
inkjet printers, there’s a lot to be said for dye sublimation printers. They’re fast, mess-free, and can produce images with amore traditional photo-lab look if that’s what you’re after.Thismakes themgreat for selling printed pictures at
Tetenal’s Spectrajet Photo paper comes in a range of beautiful finishes including Matte and Fine- Art, but one of our absolute favourites is the Satin 270gsm version. With a bright white lustre and an ultra smooth feel, the paper’s microporous coating allows excellent print resolution, with fine detail and true-to- life tones easy to achieve. Suitable for any subject,
Suitable for both regular photo and fine-art applications, Canson Infinity’s Rag Photographique is a museum- grade paper with a beautifully smooth white tone, achieved by adding natural minerals to the manufacturing
events like shows or even weddings, but also printing for home use and exhibitions.Mitsubishi produces a range of top quality dye sub printers, including the CP-D90DWand the new CP-M1E, which you can find out about elsewhere in this issue. The CP-D90DW is a versatile, high quality dye submachine that’s easy to set up, small in terms of footprint and versatile in output.Weighing 14kg andwith a footprint of 37x28cm it takes 6in wide paper rolls that come with the dye ribbon already connected, so setup is simplicity itself. From these rolls the CP- D90DWoutputs regular prints up to 6x9in, and as it cuts the prints to size for you, you can switch to 4x6in or 6x8in without changing paper, or wasting it.You can print panoramas at 6x14in or 6x20in in size; 300ppi prints take around 30 seconds to print out, are instantly dry and you can set the finish to either matte or gloss.The average cost for a 6x8 print is a not-unreasonable 16p.
process. The paper uses a
100% cotton rag base, and is compatible with either pigmented or dye inks. Providing a superb range of tones, the paper claims one of the highest Dmax ratings currently available, so rich colours and deep blacks are guaranteed. For fade-free longevity and clarity of printing the paper dries instantly, is water resistant, uses no optical brightening agents and is acid free. It’s available in a similarly excellent range of sizes including standard, A4, A3, A3+ and A2, and 17in, 24in, 36in, 44in and 60in rolls.
and producing striking results in both colour and monochrome, the silky finish and 270gsm weight substrate give the paper a classic darkroom feel, and combined with the scratch and waterproof coating it provides great durability, longevity and strength, too. It comes in 25 sheet packs of A4, A3 and A3+, and these will only set you back £9, £18 or £24 respectively. But you can also get a bargain 200-sheet A4 pack for £60, making it a great value paper for everyday use as well as for special occasions and projects.
44 Photography News | Issue 72
photographynews.co.uk
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