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jtomasella
29-Jan-2020, 13:37
I'd like to order some 16x20 FB paper and I'm kinda partial to matte finishes, but not sure what landscapes and woodland would look best on. The only other subject I'd probably print that large would be a picture of my dog.

Vaughn
29-Jan-2020, 16:24
I am heavily partial to glossy surfaces on FB paper...mostly for the slightly more black that can be achieved on glossy over matt. Images/prints change when they get bigger, so what works at 8x10 may not work at 16x20...even paper surface's role can shift as dark areas of the image get physically larger. Small areas of no detail (either in shadows or highlights) that gave a snap to a small print can become just large informationless areas when larger. Also large areas of deep shadows will read differently depending on the paper surface (and color). Enlarging to 16x20 but only exposing a smaller section of it with 8x10 papers of different surfaces could be helpful.

A lament added -- Oh, the beauty of Portriga's 111 surface. When you left, the world got soggy with tears.

Andrew Tymon
29-Jan-2020, 16:52
I am heavily partial to glossy surfaces on FB paper...mostly for the slightly more black that can be achieved on glossy over matt. Images/prints change when they get bigger, so what works at 8x10 may not work at 16x20...even paper surface's role can shift as dark areas of the image get physically larger. Small areas of no detail (either in shadows or highlights) that gave a snap to a small print can become just large informationless areas when larger. Also large areas of deep shadows will read differently depending on the paper surface (and color). Enlarging to 16x20 but only exposing a smaller section of it with 8x10 papers of different surfaces could be helpful.

A lament added -- Oh, the beauty of Portriga's 111 surface. When you left, the world got soggy with tears.

Hey Vaughn have you ever tried this paper https://www.freestylephoto.biz/444382-Foma-Fomabrom-111-Grade-3-(N)-FB-Glossy-8x10-25-Sheet it's about as close as we can get to an Agfa paper these days. I find air dried it has an eggshell finish like the old Agfa papers.

Andrew Tymon
29-Jan-2020, 16:53
I'd like to order some 16x20 FB paper and I'm kinda partial to matte finishes, but not sure what landscapes and woodland would look best on. The only other subject I'd probably print that large would be a picture of my dog.

I like glossy myself for landscapes.

Vaughn
29-Jan-2020, 17:31
Hey Vaughn have you ever tried this paper https://www.freestylephoto.biz/444382-Foma-Fomabrom-111-Grade-3-(N)-FB-Glossy-8x10-25-Sheet it's about as close as we can get to an Agfa paper these days. I find air dried it has an eggshell finish like the old Agfa papers.

Thanks for the tip. I rarely print silver gelatin and I have a little stash of the Portriga 111, but nice to know of possibilities! I am doing primarily alt processes...quite a bit of control over surface textures!

Mark Sampson
29-Jan-2020, 17:47
To quote the late Fred Picker, "TRY IT". The small added cost in buying several boxes of paper will pay off handsomely, once you've figured out which works best for your pictures. In addition- there may be more than one right answer!

Doremus Scudder
30-Jan-2020, 11:59
I'm in the air-dried glossy fiber-base paper-finish camp too. I use the Foma 111 mentioned above and like it, both in graded and VC. Adox MC-110 is nice too. Fiber-base glossy when not ferrotyped gives a nice medium sheen finish, not at all glossy like RC papers, but with enough sheen to give real dense blacks and lots of shadow separation, unlike a lot of matte finishes. Still, it all boils down to personal preference.

Doremus

Corran
30-Jan-2020, 12:12
To quote the late Fred Picker, "TRY IT". The small added cost in buying several boxes of paper will pay off handsomely, once you've figured out which works best for your pictures. In addition- there may be more than one right answer!

This.

And to make the personal opinions not unanimous, I prefer matte paper generally for most photos.

jtomasella
30-Jan-2020, 15:32
I'm in the air-dried glossy fiber-base paper-finish camp too. I use the Foma 111 mentioned above and like it, both in graded and VC. Adox MC-110 is nice too. Fiber-base glossy when not ferrotyped gives a nice medium sheen finish, not at all glossy like RC papers, but with enough sheen to give real dense blacks and lots of shadow separation, unlike a lot of matte finishes. Still, it all boils down to personal preference.

Doremus
I think I will try the glossy. Especially since I like punchy prints and it sounds like it's not as glossy as RC paper.

Drew Wiley
30-Jan-2020, 16:41
I do not believe that one shoe fits all. Although 98% of my b&w prints are made on Glossy FB, from time to time there's an image that looks right on Matte instead.

BradS
30-Jan-2020, 17:46
I like glossy for everything.

Vaughn
30-Jan-2020, 18:18
A friend made some 15"x15" prints on Portriga Rapid 118, a matt surface. Images of native buildings in Chaco Canyon. The black windows of the dwellings visually sunk into the paper...quite stunning. I prefer glossy, but as Drew said, sometimes an image calls for matte.

Drew Wiley
30-Jan-2020, 18:45
Well, Vaughn, your carbon prints show the best of both worlds, with that intricate 3d relief.

LabRat
30-Jan-2020, 19:23
With the more matte you use, it looses apparent Dmax as the surface reflects an even haze you have to look through to see the image...

But matte is good for large poster sized unmounted prints as slight waves on it don't reflect harder stray highlights on surface as much...

Glossy can have greater apparent depth below the surface if done right, and less in between the viewer's eye and the image...

Glossy air dried to slight matte works for me...

Steve K

Old_Dick
30-Jan-2020, 20:08
I'm a fan of semi matt and semi gloss. Go figure.

Vaughn
30-Jan-2020, 21:11
Even RC glossy has its uses where it really shines -- close up of chrome on a motorbike. Neon reflected in the rain-splattered street. That sort of thing...perhaps someone dressed in shiny black leather...:cool:

Drew Wiley
30-Jan-2020, 22:06
Think about supergloss on polyester base rather than paper. It would be hell to display without secondary reflections, and you would need an ultra-smooth cold-mount substrate, but ... Ilford once did an experimental MGIV run on Ciba base, but apparently never marketed it. I often use Fuji Supergloss for color printing, just like I formerly used Ciba. The depth and richness can really be the cat's meow for some images, but certainly not for all.