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After the shot3 min read

LESSON 72

Printing and paper

From screen to something you can hold.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Photographic paper
  2. Inkjet, pigment and giclee
  3. In practice: the print matches the screen
  4. In practice: choosing paper and size

Photographic paper

Photographic paper carries a light-sensitive layer, the emulsion, much like film. Most use gelatin silver chemistry. A print can be made by laying a negative on the paper, which is a contact print, or by projecting it, which is an enlargement. Digital printers can also expose this paper with light. Thomas Wedgwood found in 1802 that light darkens prepared paper. Two bases matter in the darkroom. Resin-coated paper is sealed in polyethylene, so it absorbs no liquid and washes and dries fast, in twenty to thirty minutes. Fibre-based paper takes longer but is usually chosen for exhibition and archival prints.

Inkjet, pigment and giclee

Inkjet printers are the other main route from a file to a print. Their inks use either dyes or pigments as colourant. Dye inks are usually cheapest and give vivid colour, but most fade quickly under light or ozone. Pigment inks cost more and last much longer, with better resistance to ultraviolet light, which is why they are used for fine art and archival work; inks sold as archival quality are usually pigment. Giclee is a name for fine-art inkjet prints. Printmaker Jack Duganne adopted it around 1990 for prints made on a modified Iris printer, and it is now used loosely for any fine-art, usually archival, inkjet print.

In practice: the print matches the screen

This section is working practice. Most first prints come out too dark, because screens are much brighter than paper under room light. Calibrate the screen and lower its brightness for print work. Use the printer and paper profile from the paper maker, and let either the software or the printer manage colour, never both. Most editors offer soft proofing, which simulates the paper on screen; use it, and expect to lift the shadows slightly for print. Make small test strips before a large print. Lesson 22 explains colour profiles.

In practice: choosing paper and size

Also practice. Glossy and lustre papers give deep blacks and strong colour, and suit sharp, colourful work. Matte papers give softer blacks with no glare, and suit black and white, soft light and pictures behind glass. Heavier papers feel more substantial. Match the size to the viewing distance and to the file: a small file printed big shows its pixels. Let prints dry before you judge colour, often for a day, because tones shift as the ink settles. Write the paper, profile and settings on the back of the test print so you can repeat it.

Try it today

  1. 01Pick one picture you like and soft proof it for a paper you can buy.
  2. 02Lower your screen brightness and compare the proof with the original.
  3. 03Print a small test on that paper with its maker's profile.
  4. 04Let it dry overnight and compare it with the screen in daylight.
  5. 05Adjust, reprint, and note the settings on the back.