What's your favourite B&W inkjet paper and why?

[djdister]

I got 3:

Hahnemuhle Photo Rag for matte,

Harman/Hahnemuhle Baryta and Canson Baryta for gloss.

Of the last two, I print on the Harman/hahnemuhle on my own printer (17" max), and when I have big prints made for me, I have my printmaker use the Canson.
I find the papers equally good. I like the look of the harman/hahnemuhle surface more; but the surface is fragile, the paper tends to curl, and it's generally more of a pain in the ass.

People who make big prints professionally generally won't put up with the kind of problems the Harman/Hahnemuhle offers, so the Canson's an easy choice for them.

One thing I like about the Harman/Hahnemuhle is that it's available in 17x25." This is a great size for anyone working with a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. I'm surprised it's not more popular.

I've noted this elsewhere, but as much as I love the surface of the Harman by Hahnemuhle gloss baryta paper, it has too much curl (and not just at the edges) to work well in my Epson 3880. I've tried messing with the platen gap and all that, but still too problematic. All those head strikes are going to shorten the lifespan of the printhead, and since there are other papers that are flatter out there, I won't use it anymore.

[Lenny Eiger]

OP, you haven't given us enough info. What kind of prints do you want to make?

For me, I would never consider printing on a luster paper. I don't like it at all. Other people absolutely love it and wouldn't print on anything else.

I like a "clean" look, where everything is sharp, but others like a warmer, more natural look. They don't mind some texture. A lot of it has to do with the aesthetics you have in mind.

That said, I have two papers I like are Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 and Kozo. The Kozo is a Japanese paper made from mulberry bushes, washed thoroughly in a process that's thousands of years old. The right weight of this is translucent and prints can be luminescent, when you get it just right... It's my latest passion...

Lenny

[Michael Rosenberg]

I prefer Canson Baytra. It has a warmer/neutral base than the Harmon. There is a gloss differential on the paper, most noticeable on high key prints. But once in a frame you don't see it.

To remove paper curl I heat it up in my dry mount press and then let it cool under a weight - perfectly flat.

Mike

[John Bowen]

My darkroom work leans heavily toward Azo/Amidol. For inkjet I like Cone Type 2 (matte) with Cone Warm Neutral inks

[Gary Tarbert]

Canson Platine works well for B&W prints IMHO .

[Jim Andrada]

Museo Silver Rag - I used to use the Epson Exhibition glossy papers but I think the Museo has a "richer" appearance.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I love Canson Platine Fiber Rag, get a few sample packs from different companies and play around.

[Colin Graham]

I like Moab Entrada Natural 190GSM for matte. Nice smooth texture and a durable surface that holds detail well. Paper color isn't too warm, looks nice with both neutral and warmish inks but probably wouldn't want to go too far one way or the other. The surface and color reminds me a lot of Bergger COT320, which is a great alt process paper, but the color of the Entrada is maybe a little warmer. It portrays blacks well, deep shadows hold separation without a lot of profile heroics, curve tweaking, or it going all sooty. These are all very subjective impressions, but it's also reasonably priced and 2-sided, so there's less waste in getting a print right. I haven't tried printing color on it though.

I still haven't found a glossy paper I like, sounds like I need to try the Canson Baryta.

[axs810]

Canson Platine works well for B&W prints IMHO .

I love Canson Platine Fiber Rag, get a few sample packs from different companies and play around.

+1 Canson Platine

[Dan Quan]

Hi everyone. I apologize for not getting back to you all. This thread got old with no replies after February and I stopped checking up on it. I will read through and respond as needed. Again, I do apologize for this.