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The Great Paper Chase - Hahnemuhle Fineart Baryta Satin 310 - part 4 of 1 2 3 4 5

by Mike McNamee Published 01/12/2014

Choosing the Right Paper
This is a sticky one. It's a bit like composition, those with an eye for it know instinctively when it is right! The first question to ask is where does the image fit along the notional scale with a detailed photograph at one end and a painting at the other? The further you drift towards the 'painting' end of the scale, the more arty the paper you can explore - and by arty we mean matt not gloss, textured not smooth, and probably heavier. At the photographic end you might include street photography, fashion, sport and nature and this drifts towards gloss, lustre and silk finishes. The barytas are special and excel with any detailed image, especially monochrome and where a weighty presence is required. Images with a higher 'art' content, eg reproductions of art, digital painting, dreamy montages and heavily blended Photoshop layer effects usually drift towards matt art papers for best effects.

The OBA Question
Many papers contain optical brightening agents. These cool and brighten the paper. Images are sometimes described as having more 'pop', an ill-defined term which fits the bill quite nicely if you are experienced at looking through prints - you know what it looks like but cannot quite put your finger on it!

However, the die-hard view is quite simple - never use a paper containing OBAs. This is especially true if the art is of high value; the collector will not be amused to see their investment turning yellow. Many papers are OBA free and their literature usually flags the fact. The words 'natural white' often appear in the name. Conversely anything with 'bright' in its name should be viewed with suspicion as it is likely to be carrying OBAs. This is not to say that brightened papers have no uses; some prints are required only for short-term display and this includes competition images and even qualifications panels - you can, after all, reprint them later!

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1st Published 01/12/2014
last update 09/12/2022 14:54:52

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