Paper
FOTOSPEED
fotospeed.com
Legacy Gloss 325
Platinum Cotton 305
› Prices A4 25 sheets £37, A3 25 sheets £70, A3+ 25 sheets £86.99, A2 £139.99 › Availability A6, 5x5in, A4, A3, A3+, A2. Rolls 17in, 24in, 36in, 44in, 60in › OBAs No › Acid free Yes › Weight 325gsm › Thickness 390 microns
› Prices A4 25 sheets £32.99, A3 25 sheets £61.99, A3+ 25 sheets £76, A2 25 sheets £118.99 › Availability A6, A5, 5x5in, A4, A3, A3+, A2. Rolls 24in, 36in, 44in, 60in › OBAs No › Acid free Yes › Weight 305gsm › Thickness 310 microns
This fine art paper is OBA- and acid-free, so ideal for archival use, with a smooth, matte coating. Its base is lovely and a soft, creamy white, setting off images nicely. The wide colour gamut helped it produce a fine printing performance from all my test images. The paper was developed with the help of leading landscaper Joe Cornish, so it was no surprise to see it delivered scenic shots very nicely. However, it worked well across a range of subjects, so versatility rates highly. Colour rendition of saturated and delicate hues was excellent, and there was absolutely no issue with solid shadows, which looked rich for a matte paper, while the mid-tones and highlights came across silky smooth. Black & white images, both fully toned and strongly contrasty, were reproduced faithfully – and I was pleased with the look this matte paper produced. All in all, an impressive matte paper for your fine art images.
Legacy Gloss is a recent arrival, developed as a sister paper to Fotospeed’s matte finish Platinum Cotton 305, which was also part of our test (see right). Legacy Gloss is a non-OBA, 100% cotton paper that gives an unglazed gloss finish on a slightly creamy- white base. It has a lovely surface sheen, but don’t worry about any problems with reflection when prints are on display – and heft is impressive, too. A wide colour gamut and high Dmax ensures the paper performs well across a range of subject genres, and its unglazed finish makes it especially suited to monochrome images with its wet darkroom look. With the photo black ink of the Epson SC-P800 printer, my contrasty black & white images came out with lots of impact, which suited my tastes. Richly toned mono images also came out pleasingly. Colour reproduction is vivid, but not overly aggressive. So, if you like lively, but accurate scenics, this paper could be ideal.
HAHNEMÜHLE
hahnemuehle.com
FineArt Bartya 325
Bamboo 290
› Prices A4 25 sheets £48.70, A3 25 sheets £96.70, A3+ 25 sheets £122.90, A2 25 sheets £188.80 › Availability A4, A3, A3+, A2. Rolls 17in, 24in, 36in, 44in, 60in › OBAs Yes, moderate › Weight 325gsm
› Prices A4 25 sheets £42, A3 25 sheets £83.20, A3+ 25 sheets £105.70, A2 25 sheets £162.85 › Availability A4, A3, A3+, A2. Rolls 17in, 24in, 36in, 44in, 50in › OBAs No › Weight 290gsm
A member of Hahnemühle’s Natural Line family, Bamboo 190 is a softly textured, acid-free matte paper with no OBAs. Agave and Hemp are the other two finishes in the range. Bamboo is the world’s first paper made from 90% bamboo fibres – the remaining 10% is cotton fibres. The soft surface texture gives the paper a smooth, luxurious feel, and you don’t see the undulations during normal viewing. Printing performance is top drawer and I was very impressed with the all-round performance. It also gave an excellent showing when it came to colour reproduction. It dealt with punchy and delicate colours with equal impressiveness, and its natural approach meant it suited scenics and portraits well. Black & white shots looked superb, too, showing very good highlight and shadow details – with all the greys in between
Hahnemühle offers an impressive array of glossy fine art paper. If you want to try, go for a sample pack, featuring eight surfaces – including the one we used. Sampler packs are a cost-effective way of trying papers. This is an acid-free paper and contains OBAs to give a bright white base – it’s very slightly creamy, so isn’t overly bright. The glossy finish is lovely, but not over-strong, and it’s slightly textured, which adds an extra dimension. All my test prints came out very well on this paper. Coloured shots held their vibrancy with vivid saturation, while less rich colours also more than held their own. With shots featuring deep shadows, these looked full of depth, adding to the three-dimensional feel that this paper produced. If you like punch and depth on your monochromes, this paper could also work well. Smooth mid-tones in combination with crisp whites and deep blacks make for a compelling proposition.
lustrous and smooth. Solid blacks have plenty of depth for a matte finish paper.
Issue 89 | Photography News 27
photographynews.co.uk
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