PHOTO PRINTING

researched and explained.
this is the result of figuring out way too many options for photo printing in 2011,
in terms of quality, photography tradition, and the environment. 

SUMMARY

I'm backing ARCHIVAL INKJET printing for various reasons:
1) it has more color dynamic range than digital C prints,
2) it's slightly more archival than C prints.
3) it involves less toxic chemistry, the inks are water based.
4) it gives the option to print on 100% cotton paper.
5) cotton paper is stronger and naturally acid free and lignin free.
6) it's made from a biproduct of cotton textile production.
I'd also pick a paper that's made in the US without optical brighteners,
and that isn't resin coated (polyethylene, petroleum)

the brands and paper lines
that meet these requirements are:

museo
silver rag (glossy, slight texture?)
portfolio rag (matte, extra smooth)
museo max (matte)

moab (by legion)
entrada rag natural (not entrada rag bright) (matte)
I havent had a chance to see samples yet.


RESEARCH LEADING TO DECISION:
click here to expand post




PRINTING METHODS

digital c
same resin coated (RC) paper and chemistry as a color darkroom print,
but it's not exposed by an enlarger.
it's exposed by laser, or led, with the paper being fed into a machine, over a drum.

"The Chromira utilizes LED technology and draws the paper over a curved drum
to create a printing surface that eliminates banding and other problems associated with lasers."
- from printspace website.

cheaper adorama digital prints are likely less calibrated, less accurate color, or maybe laser.

digital c for b&w would be pretty diff than b&w darkroom fiber prints,
and more similar to b&w darkroom RC prints.

digital enlargers exist, to project light onto paper, for color or b&w paper and chemistry.
the guy at printspace said if i did find a place with one, it'd be way more expensive.
I havent found any info on the quality of them.
c prints are considered archival, but due to resin coating, traditional c prints from like the 70s
have shown more wear than b&w fiber prints - according to another person at printspace.

archival inkjet,
is with archival inks and archival paper.
it's more archival than c prints, maybe a bit less than b&w fiber prints.
it has more color dynamic range than digital C printing,
but whether or not it's noticeable is another question.
inkjet is can be printed on a variety of RC or fiber based papers,
color or b&w. use a greyscale profile for printing w/ black and grey ink only.
epson said the inks are water based, not oil based.


DARKROOM PAPERS

fiber based (FB) darkroom paper
is b&w only.
it's layered top to bottom like this:
supercoating (sometimes)
emulsion
baryta
paper base

resin coated (RC) darkroom paper
is layered top to bottom like this:
supercoating
emulsion
polyethylene
paper base
polyethylene
ref jpg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photopapers_1.jpg

baryta
this term is around more commonly now with new inkjet papers,
but comes from the traditional ilford FB paper.
baryta is either barium hydroxide or barium sulphate.
it's a clay like material that is applied to a fiber paper substrate.
it whitens the paper for high reflectivity, and provides a ground for light sensitive emulsion.

ilford's FB paper has a eucalyptus wood pulp base, with a layer of baryta between that and the emulsion.
it's been made since the late 1870s, time tested and archival.

ilford also just announced, summer 2011, a new 100% cotton rag b&w photographic darkroom paper with no baryta layer.


INKJET PAPERS

resin coated (RC)
RC inkjet papers are lower quality, consumer grade, made by kodak, epson, etc.
i didn't bother looking into them.

fine art paper makers
they are also the ones making higher end digital fine art inkjet papers.
papers have to be coated specifically to be inkjet receptive and archival.
nobody would say what those coatings are made of.
finishes range from smooth to textured, gloss to matte.

100% cotton
highest quality.
Cotton fiber is up to 10 times stronger than cellulous and naturally acid free and lignin free.
(wood fiber being naturally more acidic).
it's made from cotton linters, the residue of fine fuzz that remains
on the seeds after cotton is ginned for textile manufacture.
for nearly 2000 yrs paper had been made from discarded rags, before wood tree fibers.

alpha cellulose
a mix of fibers, could be some cotton, some wood, some other plants.
something to look out for: one paper brand, the gloss and luster line were resin coated, but the matte wasn't.
there also a few all wood papers, and bamboo paper and sugar cane paper, but those seem less common for digital fine art papers.

baryta on inkjet paper
there are now baryta papers for digital fine art inkjet use, to be more like the original ilford FB paper.
but w/ inkjet you can print color as well.
i've seen it mostly on alpha cellulose fiber,
but I did see at least one baryta paper made with 100% cotton.
the baryta serves as the inkjet receptive coating.
it's also the gloss coating; glossy like the original ilford FB gloss, not like the RC plastic gloss.
so, i don't think there are matte barytas, even though the original ilford FB baryta paper has a matte option.


SIDE THOUGHT
I often question the prices of selling photographs, since digital reproduction is so much easier
than the craft of traditional hand printing each individual print in the darkroom,
but maybe printing with the best choices from this research add to the value as well.


some sources referenced

conservatree.org also put out a 22 page guide to environmentally friendly
choices in photographic paper, and sent it to various manufacturers.
i didn't come across it til after I put this together,
this has a bit more info exploring quality and tradition in photographic printing.
their document goes into some fair trade and chlorine free issues, which aren't available,
but it was to get manufacturers to get on it.

google, wikipedia - baryta, paper history

printspacenyc.com

paper companies:
Hahnemuhle
harman
ilford
moab by legion
museo