Our Favorite Fine Art Inkjet Papers

These papers will help you make gallery-ready photo prints.

- George Schaub

INKJET PRINTMAKERS NOW HAVE A RANGE of printing paper options that go well beyond the wildest dreams of darkroom printers in terms of size, surface, and print “look.” While covering all the offerings would fill all the pages of this issue, and then some, what follows is a sampling of paper options that I have recently tested with some suggestions about how they might best be put to use in your creative endeavors. I have included some recent entrants in the fine art field; a consideration of printer company “branded” papers; and an affordable option for those who want to “hand work” their images by adding pastels, charcoals, or other treatments to the print surface.

FINE ART PAPERS 

I surveyed a number of photo gallery owners and dealers who told me that there has been a much wider acceptance of inkjet as of late, at least when prints are made on the best papers using inks that have enhanced archival capabilities. Indeed, a growing number of galleries I have visited now include paper and ink identification in their print prospectus and even on wall labels to enhance print appeal to knowledgeable buyers.

To earn the fine art moniker the paper needs to be “acid-free” and composed of 100 percent rag or cotton fiber (basically not resin coated); it should have a durable “weight” (thickness) above 280 gsm; and the image itself must be printed using stable inks (specifically pigmented, not dye-based inks). I refer the reader to an excellent resource for more detailed information and specific paper/ink tests: wilhelm-research.com. With that in mind, here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite fine art options.