Papers with No OBA and Metamerism

[Ken Lee]

According to this article (http://www.breathingcolor.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=63), Optical Brightening Agents in paper are responsible for metamerism.

Can anyone recommend some inkjet papers which have no OBA, and hence no illuminant metameric failure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamerism_(color)) ?

[Sergei Antonov]

I always was thinking that metamerism is caused mostly by inks. From my experience with Epson 2200 OEM inks it seems to be true: you could take paper like Silver Rag (no OBA) and still have the same color shift when printed with those inks. Effect was most pronounced when I tried to do B/W photos using these inks, which is understandable.
Normally manufacturers enhance absence of OBA in their ads, for me the rule is: "bright white" = OBA added, "natural" = no OBA. Many decent papers have both versions.

--Sergei

[Ken Lee]

I have an Epson R2400, and printed for a show on Epson papers which had OBA.

The metamerism was rather strong, wherever the lighting was incandescent or florescent instead of balanced.

By the way, is Crane Museo Silver Rag the same paper as Museo Silver Rag ?

[Tyler Boley]

there are many contributors to metamerism failure, OBA content is probably one. More important though are other factors like GCR. A 2400 with an additional light light black and higher gray component replacement in the driver will deliver a print with less metamerism failure than the identical Ultrachrome image on the same paper but made on a 2200, which has one less light black ink, and less GCR in the driver (OEM). Then with a RIP, the same ink and paper as the 2400, I can make an ink setup and CMYK profile with even greater GCR, therefore still less metamerism failure.
We used to think dye inks were poor performers in this regard, but then in those days we also had less light black inks and far less GCR, so it's hard to say. On the other hand, the Lyson dye quadtone inks and small gamut inks had the worst metamerism failure I have ever seen, and they were extremely low gamut inks...
So the only way to evaluate OBA content contribution would be to put two papers with and without up against each other with all other factors being equal.
Crane Silver Rag and Museo Silver Rag are the same, Intellicoat bought Crane's inkjet paper line.
Tyler
http://www.custom-digital.com/

[Ken Lee]

Tyler -

And thanks for the info about Museo. And even more importantly, thanks for introducing these printing terms. There's so much to learn ! Yet another vital link in the Chain of Quality.

I found them in the Color Terms (http://www.adobe.com/studio/print/pdf/color_terms.pdf) article on adobe.com

UCR or Under Color Removal: When color separations are made,the combination of colors might exceed the Total Ink Coverage value for a certain press and paper, so the ink will not dry. UCR compensates for the excess by removing small percentages of ink.

...as opposed to

GCR or Gray Component Replacement: A method for replacing neutral grays made up of combinations of cyan, magenta, and yellow with a similar value of black ink.GCR improves the printability of a job by making neutral grays easier to balance on press.

UCR describes a typical color separation, where GCR describes a more sophisticated separation process where neutral colors are modified and substituted by black ink.

[Ken Lee]

I just purchased some Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag, and it has no OBA.

It's great. I can't see any metamerism so far !

[PAllen]

The 2200 has metameric failure in many of its prints, due to the number of inks and the proportions that the printer uses to create colors. As much as a 20 point shift from UV to Tungsten is the result. Although the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag has OBA's the content is "very low" and we have had great results with it. If the paper is a commercial paper like Epson glossy or anything that looks blue, I would stay away from it if you are concerned with Metameric Failure. If a paper has a very low amount of OBA's you will be fine in terms of metamerism and longevity. But it also depends on the quality of the printer being used.

You can check out Hahnemuhle's comments on OBA's here,
http://www.hahnemuehle.com/news/en/239/122/hahnemuehle-fineart-on-the-subject-of-oba-s.html

"The Hahnemühle papers William Turner (category 1, no optical brightener) and Photo Rag® (category 2, a minimum of optical brightener) have been tested in combination with the new Vivera inks from HP, at the renowned Wilhelm Imaging Research Institute Inc. Over a simulated test period of 200 years no appreciable change in the whiteness of the paper was detected. Even in the case of the papers belonging to category 3, the bright white papers, after testing by the German FOGRA institute remained stable for a test period of between 20 and 50 years."

[Ken Lee]

Thanks - It sounds like a good thing they discontinued the 2200.

My 2400 is much better - also with respect to bronzing.

[Harley Goldman]

Ken, I have been using the Canson Platine. It is a great paper! I am real happy with it.

[Steve Wadlington]

Ken,

I know you do mostly BW. I was not happy with my 2400 and ABW. I am much happier using bw inks although I am limited to matte papers with the current mix I use. Also, a CIS system will save a lot on ink costs. Watching those printer carts exhaust themselves in cleaning cycles is painful. When I installed a waste ink external tank, I was amazed how much ink is wasted.

[Ken Lee]

Harley - Thanks for the tip about Platine. That's the one I have been using. It's just lovely.

Steve - The "monochrome" prints I like are toned (http://www.kenleegallery.com/bronze.html) warm or cool. Since each print is different, the entire set of colored inks gets used up eventually. To save money, I have learned to avoid printing - except when making images for sale or show.

[gnuyork]

yes, printing on the 2400 can be expensive! I printed a 40 image show with mine and went through several cartridges of ink. Of course I printed a lot of test images before the finals.

I used Hahnemhule fine art Baryta for the color images and Ilford Fibre Silk Gold for the B&W. I don't recall any issues with metamerism, but I really didn't look to hard for it either.

[Ken Lee]

"I don't recall any issues with metamerism, but I really didn't look to hard for it either".


http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/57.jpg


It's probably the case that certain images suffer more than others.

Images like this one seem most susceptible: toned light brown, and mostly high values, where the paper itself "shows through" to some extent. Gallery visitors didn't complain, but the photographer saw it plainly.

But most of this goes away when printed on the right paper: no OBAs.

[gnuyork]

not sure if the paper I was using had OBAs or not. When I was using matte paper, I was trying for no OBA, and 100% cotton. Since I have switched to using the gloss black and the Baryta papers I don't think I will go back.

[Kirk Gittings]

I just purchased some Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag, and it has no OBA.

It's great. I can't see any metamerism so far !

Ken, what are your impressions of this paper a few months later. Surface texture? Base color?

[Kirk Gittings]

Ken bump.

[Ken Lee]

Sorry Kirk - I didn't see the previous post until now.

That paper is not like glossy photo paper, but has tiny bumps: a fine satin sheen you might say.

I print in "monochrome", so my images are always either a little brown or a little lavender. If I were to print with only black ink, color shifts might be less of an issue in general for me - but that aside, I see a marked lack of metamerism when compared to my previous paper, Epson Premium Glossy.

Also, it looks nicer to me than the Silver Rag I tried. Better dMax, better gloss, more like a "real" photo. Nobody I've shown prints, has asked if they were inkjet.

I had a profile made for my printer by CHROMiX, and judging test images like this one (http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/tech/4800test.jpg) by eye, it's the same as the other papers I've tried.

I can't remember the exact measure, but it's rather thick and heavy, and I appreciate that, because it lets you mount larger prints without warping, and thus avoid the danger of heat from dry-mount.

I'd be happy to send you a sample print if you'd like.

I also tried some of their Rag Photographique - and it's a beautiful matte paper. It has a slightly warmer color, and true black looks very classy on it, like Ebony and Ivory. Personally, I prefer a higher dMax for most of my images. I'd say it's the nicest matte paper I've seen, very handsome.

[Kirk Gittings]

That would be great. Thanks. I am looking at new papers to print a couple of upcoming shows.

[ljsegil]

I recently started printing on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching and have been delighted with the results. I think it's worth a look.
Larry

[Kirk Gittings]

Ken,
Got it. Thats exactly what I needed. It looks good and I ordered some today! The surface reminds me of the harman. Thanks so much.

[Kirk Gittings]

So I just printed a small suite of images for a group show on the Canson Plantine. By itself the paper has a bit of a RC look to it, but when the ink is put on it the surface is gorgeous. The base color is a very nuetral white for a no OBA paper. There is some slight gloss differential that mainly on my prints shows up in bright clouds in the sky, but as soon as you get them under glass it disappears. I did have a slight manufacturing flaw in two boxes ( like a small oblong area where the coating had a slightly duller look-identical on 40 sheets, but since it was outside the image area it didn't matter. All in all a great paper. I actually like it better than the old Harmon.

[Vertex Ninja]

So I just printed a small suite of images for a group show on the Canson Plantine. By itself the paper has a bit of a RC look to it, but when the ink is put on it the surface is gorgeous. The base color is a very nuetral white for a no OBA paper. There is some slight gloss differential that mainly on my prints shows up in bright clouds in the sky, but as soon as you get them under glass it disappears. I did have a slight manufacturing flaw in two boxes ( like a small oblong area where the coating had a slightly duller look-identical on 40 sheets, but since it was outside the image area it didn't matter. All in all a great paper. I actually like it better than the old Harmon.

It's my favorite paper. I spray my prints and the slight differential disappears. Absolutely love the look and feel in hand and think the the balance of sharpness, dmax, and surface texture is just right. I also like that it's just slightly on the warm side of neutral. The surface is similar to Canson's Baryta Photographique but with a little more stipple. I like the Baryta too, but prefer the rag quite a bit more.