REVIEW: Hahnemühle Matte Fine Art Smooth Rice Paper 100 gsm

In this article, I share my thoughts on the Hahnemühle Matte Fine Art Smooth Rice Paper (100 gsm). This is a less common and exciting paper to work with given its wonderful texture and semi-opaque nature. The specifications according to B&H are:

• 100% Alpha-Cellulose Laid-Finished Paper
• Basis Weight: 100 gsm
• Thickness: 5.9 mil
• Whiteness: 88%
• Opacity: 85%
• Water Resistant
• No Optical Brightening Agents
• Acid Free & Calcium Carbonate Buffered
• Surface Finish: Matte

You can learn more about this paper on the website and get a datasheet here.

Unfortunately it seems to only be sold in 3 roll sizes plus one sheet size here in this US at this time.

ICC Profile / Color Gamut Analysis

The graph below shows how the color gamut of this paper is nearly identical to the German Etching paper I reviewed recent. In both cases I'm using the ICC profiles from the Hahnemühle Download Center.

Please note that ColorThink Pro gamut graphs are highly accurate but the mechanism to present them to you involves screen shots and imprecise window resizing so do not compare the height and width of this graph to other articles and draw any conclusions. The takeway here is that this has nearly an identical gamut to German Etching.

Pattern, Texture & Tooth

One of the reasons you get a paper like this is all about its texture. The following image is a crop from a 1200 dpi scan I took of this paper with the texture emphasized. Click to view the full size and zoom in and out to get a feel for the pattern and texture of this paper:

High Resolution Scan - Click for Original

While the scan above most accurately reflects what the paper is like in real, here's a photo that emphasizes the "tooth" of this paper:

Photo of the paper's "tooth" with side lighting

This paper is semi opaque just like the rice paper screens you'd see in Japan which makes it wonderful for hanging in a way that allows for backlighting with the right image.

Test prints

I only had 25 sheets to test with, so I went through this paper really quickly testing it. What follows are a few letter sample prints that I made specifically for this review.

The first print is the the Outback Printer image is courtesy of the late but great Uwe Steinmueller and used by permission of Bettina Steinmueller. The semi-opaque nature of this paper makes it possible to see (at the right angle) light on the 253 square which is rare to see. The 2 & 4 squares both look the same shade and 6 is very hard to make out. 8 is really where you stat to see the grayscale appear. It should be noted that if you don't over ink the paper, you can see the  purple gradient under the 2nd baby almost all the way to the bottom of the bar:

Click to see the original Epson V850 high resolution scan
Relative Colormetric rendering intent ended up being the best choice for this image

The colors were typical for a matte paper.

Overall, this paper performed significantly better than I was expecting in turns of color accuracy and tonal range. It really is great stuff!

Zen Pathway

While this paper doesn't have the DMax of a baryta or resin-coated substrate, it's a paper that begs for Japanese calligraphy. As a result, I decided to go out on a limb and try this black and white image with loads of black to see how it would do. I'm happy to say that I was happy with the results and it looks good both in a frame or held up with soft indirect light backlighting the image:

Click to see the original Epson V850 high resolution scan
Perceptual rendering intent ended up being the best choice for this image

Ancient Staircase of Mystery

This is one of those times where a blog article is inadequate as this print in real life held up to a window is simply magnificent. The semi-opaque nature of this paper creates a transparency effect that allows the light come through enough to make the vivid colors pop off the page, yet there's still enough substance to the paper to retain some of the depth of the blacks. This was truly a magnificent print that was ideal for this paper, and it is noteworthy as it's the first and only time I've found an image where the Saturation rendering intent was the right choice:

Click to see the original Epson V850 high resolution scan
Saturation rendering intent ended up being the best choice for this image

Photoshop for Windows settings using a Canon PRO-2000

The website instructions for this paper were totally wrong, so definitely plan to do some experimentation using test prints before you'll get it dialed in with the right balance of ink to avoid oversaturating the paper.

For Canon printers, they fortunately have "manual" media types specifically for this scenario. The way it works is that there are 5 ink levels and Special media types dedicated to 5 levels of Photo Black ink (Special 1 - 5) and 5 levels dedicated to Matte Black ink (Special 6 - 10). For this paper, I found Special 7 was the right choice to maximize ink but minimize saturating the paper:

Some might want to push the edge and do Special 6 to get more ink, but you'll need to be very careful to leave the paper alone after printing and let it dry in a very low humidity environment. Eventually the oversaturation marks (shown below) will go away, but they'll freak you out when you pull the print out of the printer:

Example of oversaturation on the backside of the paper
Click to see the original Epson V850 high resolution scan

To keep oversaturation problems to a minimum, I also took advantage of the High setting which still gives you 600 dpi but seemed to apply slightly less ink. I also increased the drying time between scans to 3 seconds and did unidirectional printing to ensure that the ink started to dry sufficiently after each pass before the next overlapping pass was applied:

This helped quite a bit, so I highly recommend it. Eventually, I'll need to create a media type file that has these settings built in.

Like always, I turned off the printer driver color management:

Despite my box (ref no. 10 641 482) being labeled as 13 x 19, my Canon PRO-2000's auto-detect paper width feature alerted me to the fact that this paper actually measures out to A3+ size. As a result, I either needed to manually tell the printer it was 13 x 19 enter that in the driver OR let it auto detect as A3+ and match that setting in the driver as shown here:

The only downside to using A3+  as the size is that the printable margin of this paper caused the image to not be centered perfectly. 13x19 solved that problem, SO this paper behaves best as 13x19 even though it is really A3+ sized. Well, at least that is the case at the time this article was written, but I suppose that could change with a printer driver update or possibly if printed from a different operating system.

I didn't try printing this paper from my Mac since I didn't have enough to test with.

As discussed above, Photoshop will accurately show you how your image will print so if you want it to be vertically centered the best then use 13 x 19 as shown here. However, please make sure that the printer, driver and Photoshop are ALL in sync on the size that you use - don't mix and match:

About Hahnemühle

German paper maker Hahnemühle is well-known for making some of the best papers in the business since 1584 with the highest paper quality parameters for its Digital FineArt papers.

Conclusion

If you are the type of print master who enjoys matching the right paper to the right image or environment where your print will hang, then this is a paper you are sure to enjoy. While it is a delicate paper, it held up to reasonable handling much better than I expected.

The color gamut was significantly better than expected and the final result is something that is unique and special enough to get that "wow" factor out of your clients who appreciate something unique.

If you are the type of person who isn't a big fan of matte paper or  does most of your prints on Luster, then this definitely isn't the right paper for you.

While I was disappointed at the poor instructions on the website, my contact at Hahnemühle informed me that their website is currently being re-written and that a product support manager. As a result, I'm hopefully this problem will be addressed. Until then, I'd say plan on using about 5 sheets to dial in the right settings if you aren't able to mirror my settings that I settled on for the Canon PRO-2000. While I didn't print this paper using my PRO-1000, I'm confident that these same settings would be appropriate on it as well.

My Epson P800 ran out of yellow ink, so I didn't get a chance to test with it before I ran out of paper.

Overall, I highly recommend this paper for the serious print master. Amateur / casual users should work with Hahnemühle product support or a skilled print masters recommended settings for their printer to avoid oversaturation problems.

Where to Buy?

CLICK HERE to learn more or buy today.

Other articles you may enjoy

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• Breathing Color Lyve Canvas – The best canvas I've ever used!  (discount offer)
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• Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper Review and How To Walkthrough
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• Epson Hot & Cold Press Papers
• Epson Legacy Papers Reviews & Video Tutorials with individual articles on Baryta, Etching, Platine and Fibre
• Epson Metallic Photo Paper Glossy & Luster
• Epson Ultra Premium Luster Review and How To Walkthrough Videos for Mac & Windows - Covers Lightroom & Photoshop for Mac and Windows
• ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Gold Cotton 330gsm & Fine Art 220gsm Papers Review
• ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Smooth Pearl Photo Paper
• Metallic Paper Comparison: Red River Polar Pearl vs LexJet Sunset Photo (Coupon Code Included)
• Red River Paper vs Epson Papers - Fantastic papers for Canon and Epson printers
• Red River Paper San Gabriel Baryta Semi Gloss 2.0 - Just as good as expensive Baryta's
• Red River Paper Palo Duro Etching Fine Art Paper
• Printing Series 
• Discount Coupon Codes 

Enjoy these and more on the Reviews tab as well as Ron's Recommendations.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this. While I was given paper for testing for this review, I was NOT paid or solicited to do this article.

PhotoPlus Expo 2012 Trip Report (Part 1 of 2)

Print Masters & Photography Legends Eddie Tapp & Douglas Dubler

PhotoPlus Expo is the place to be for photographers and photo editors each year as all the big names in the industry (excluding the Kelby Media Empire) come out in force to show off their new gear. There’s also an endless number of photography legends giving presentations and interacting with the attendees, so it’s really a ton of fun to be there and rub elbows with your favorite photographers.

This this first of a two part series, I go into some of the non-product highlights and in part two I dive in to some of the products that caught my eye at the show (like the Canon 6D featured on my blog yesterday).

Industry recognition for ronmartblog.com this year

This year I got to enjoy some of the spotlight with my work being featured in four major booths:

Nik Software gave me the stage for a photo editing demo
(Cell phone photo courtesy of Art Marshall of NEC)

NEC had my work on all of their displays

Canon featured my work on the new iPF6450 that I’ll be reviewing this holiday season

Elinchrom featured my ring flash shot as well, albeit as Rob instead of Ron Martinsen – ha, ha

Models Galore

If you are patient and wanted to improve your portfolio on the cheap, then PPE is the place to go as many booths feature amazing models in good light for photographers to test out their products. Here’s just a few examples:

Panasonic had a biker babe

Unique Photo had a pretty cool dude running around

Sigma had great models and lighting to show off their lens on your camera

All of my images were taken with a Canon EOS 1D X with the new Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens with available light and auto ISO.

Highlights of the Show (Part 1 of 2)

Everybody is out to wow the crowd at PPE, so there’s always something fun in the biggest sponsors booths. Here were a few of my favorites:

4K Display by Sony

I first wrote about 4K displays in 2010, but every time I’ve seen them since then I still get impressed. The latest was the 4K display by Sony in the form of what appeared to be their much touted 84” display:

All of the images on display impressed, but this one grabbed me the most when I was examining the details. This photo has not been sharpened beyond in-camera sharpening and when you do a 100% crop this is what you get:

Even if this were a print, that would be pretty impressive but the fact that it’s a image on a TV that is just astonishing!

Nikon Cuts a D4 and Brings a Mad Scientist

Nikon D4 split in half was cool but also painful to see

HD Video was front and center with this mad scientist hands-on filming exhibit at Nikon

Canon had amazing prints from the new iPF6400, iPF6450 and iPF8400

Canon featured amazing prints, but Michel Tcherevkoff’s was my personal favorite

Lots of a Amazing Prints

Hahnemühle had lots of great prints, but this was
one of my favorites prints of the show

Metal Mural dazzled the crowd with its metal prints,
so I’ll be working with them on a future article

Fujifilm showed off its best shots including this amazing floral shot
taken with a X-Pro1 by Azuma Makoto

Nikon didn’t disappoint either with lots of great D800 based imagery

Canon had walls of jaw dropping images as well

And no show would be complete without Epson’s Signature Worthy Collection

Now check out part II

Learn more about the cool products at PPE this year in this article:

PhotoPlus Expo 2012 New Product News (Part 2 of 2)

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using select links in this article, I may make a commission.

Canon Fine Art Bright White 330gsm Paper Review and How To Walkthrough

When I started my printing series I didn’t really care for matte paper, but I’ll admit that at that time I honestly didn’t know the difference between what I traditionally knew as matte paper and a true fine art matte paper. I know now, and I am quite pleased to say that I love it. I especially enjoy using the  Canon Fine Art Bright White 330gsm on my Canon iPF6300  printer because the end result is a hearty thick, yet smooth paper that looks fantastic and feels like it belongs in a museum with a high price tag.

Favorite Prints with this Paper

Oddly enough I found myself preferring to print people on this paper, which I never thought I’d doe with matte papers. Here’s a few of my favorite images printed on this paper:

The colors just pop on this paper for this one

The details in the blacks were faithfully reproduced

The detail in the white was brilliant every
detail was just as I remembered in real life.
This is by far my favorite print on this paper.

Web browsers ruin this photo, but when it is printed on this paper you see it as
I see it on my wide gamut display and it is good!

This is very durable paper

Now one concern I always had with matte papers was that they didn’t feel as durable as luster or glossy papers because the ink just feels exposed. Well the truth is that this is very durable paper and beginning with my test on October 9th, until late December 2010 I’ve let (mis)prints using this paper sit out in the weather elements and in my garage and the paper has held up very well. Now inks play the biggest role in durability and I’m using Canon Lucia EX pigment inks which are known for their durability, so your mileage may vary if you are using a different ink set. I also am only looking for flaking, chipping, and discoloration in my testing, and thus far I’ve seen none of those. However the paper will naturally distort in the rain, but it can be flattened again.

Specifications

Here are the key facts that I have gathered about this paper:

Basis Weight	330 g/m²
Thickness	20 mil
ISO Brightness	115
Base Material	100% Acid-Free Cotton
Surface Finish	Matte

Canon’s full PDF on this paper can be found here.

Paper Profiles

This paper has an excellent color gamut  with the Canon paper profile
Graph via ColorThink Pro 

For this printer I only used the profiles that Canon provides with my Canon iPF6300 printer and I was pleased enough with the results that I didn’t feel compelled to generate my own paper profile. I also did not try to use this with a RIP. 

As  you’ll see later in the walkthrough I also found that when using the Canon plug-in that if you have the media type listed (in this case Fine Art Bright White 330g) that choosing Auto for the Output Profile is acceptable because the software is intelligent enough to choose the proper ICC profile based on the settings you choose in the dialog (i.e., highest max passes versus highest require different ICC profiles). Based on advice from Eddie Tapp I tested this feature and found it to work enough that I trust it now.

The names of the profiles I used outside of the plug-in are as follows:

• CNN63936E.icc – Highest Print Mode (Max Pass is 16-bit only)
• CNN63963F.icc – High Print Mode
• CNN63963G.icc – Standard Print Mode (8-bit only)

Custom rendering intents are unavailable outside of the plug-in so sometimes the best results are only possible with the print module which can be used from Photoshop or for free with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) product.

Tips

I preferred Canon’s Export Module’s “Perceptual (People & Dark Areas)” rendering intent the most for my people shots. When doing my black and white prints I found Auto Mono Neutral to be my preferred choice (much more so than printing in color – but for color printing of black and white images Relative Colormetric was better).

When soft proofing in Photoshop I found that the Relative Colormetric rendering intent most closely resembles the result I see when printing using the Perceptual (People, Dark Areas) rendering intent. However, I didn’t like like the Relative Color metric rendering intent for actual printing.

Walkthrough on Canon

Since Canon provides an excellent Print Plug-in for Photoshop (which I refer to as the export module) the printing is very straightforward in 32-bit Photoshop (and identical on Mac and OS platforms). Here are some screen shots of my some of my print settings for images featured in this article:

I always do Max Passes and 16-bit even though I haven’t been able to prove
that it is better than 8-bit and Highest print mode

The preview window is your friend here as what you see is what you get

For completeness I’ve included a Mac Page setup dialog to show that they are
identical to the PC – the same is true of the Main tab as well.

I choose Auto (Monochrome Photo) for my output profile

I prefer the Pure Neutral Black setting for my B&W prints on this paper
NOTE: These settings are only available on the Color Settings Tab
when you choose Auto Monochrome

 

Lightroom 

Lightroom is a little more tricky as the export module is not available, but it is an experience that is closer to what you would find if you skipped the Canon plug-in and went straight to Photoshop (not recommended). I was unable to produce results as good in Lightroom or Photoshop directly as I am able to produce using DPP or Photoshop with Canon’s Export Module so this method of printing isn’t recommended at this time.

It is my understanding that Canon will be releasing an update for Lightroom soon so I will postpone doing a Lightroom walkthrough until that happens. In the meantime I recommend using Photoshop or Canon’s DPP software and print using the settings shown above in the plug-in.

Prices & Sizes

As of December 29th, 2010 you can purchase Canon Fine Art Bright White 330gsm at B&H or local print shops like JVH (tell them I sent you) from as little as $14.73 for a 50 sheet pack of letter size paper up to $204.95 for a 60” roll with 50’ of paper. It’s offered in all of the paper roll sizes Canon printers support plus the standard letter, 13”x19” (Super-B) and 17x22” sizes.

Additional sizing information can be found here as well.

Conclusion

I like this paper quite a bit. I find it to be very comparable to Epson’s excellent Hot Press Bright paper but much thicker along with the added benefit that it seemed to work fine no matter which side I printed on (at least in my short term testing). This is a hearty and substantial paper that is worthy of your portfolio prints, and I didn’t find it to be to rough (i.e., it’s not a Cold Press paper). It is very bright white so if you don’t like OBA’s, then you’ll probably not care for this paper, but for me I thought it looked great. I did find that my blacks suffered a bit on this paper so adding a little black boost in your image before printing on this paper probably isn’t a bad idea.

Disclosure

I may get a commission if you purchase using links in this article. Thank you for supporting this blog and future articles like this by using the links when making your purchases or making a donation if that isn’t possible.