There is a huge number of paper grades and manufacturers out there. For the first tests I have chosen the paper from the printer manufacturer, in my case Canon. So, once I ordered the printer, I also purchased some paper

  • Canon Pro Luster A4 and A3
  • Canon Premium Matte A4
  • Canon Pro Platinum A3 +

By no means this paper should be seen as bad. It is fine and provides quick success experience. The price is (almost) unbeatable and the results are really good.

But the real goal was to use paper from the various manufacturers. For this, it is worthwhile to go back to the offered test packages which nearly every manufacturer has available. Some good ones

In addition to the above, there is also Photolux, a company that mainly deals with all sorts of papers but also has their own brand. The prices for these are between the paper of the printer manufacturer and the other brands.

When selecting, one have to make sure that ICC profiles for the printer are offered for installation, which is the case with all of the above mentioned manufacturers. The Canon printer is now about 2 years on the market. In company to the ICC profile for the respective paper there is also usually a PDF file available that describes the printer driver usage to adjust the printer, etc. So actually one can hardly do something wrong.

What follows is the fun part…, the real pleasure… Test prints on the various papers. Print, examine and be amazed! In the end, the choice of paper to be used has to be made. This is not easy…

My current favorites (without having tried everything) are

  • Hahnemühle – German Etching 310 (prints with strong structure on the paper)
  • Hahnemühle – Baryta FB 350 (very good contrast, excellent sharpness and glossy look with a very smooth surface)
  • Hahnemühle – Bamboo 290 (surprisingly great look-and-feel; this paper convinced me at the first glance)
  • Hahnemühle – Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305 (a wonderful matte paper with incredible sharpness)
  • Photolux – Velvet 270 (also a very good and besides this, quite cheap paper for matte prints with little structure)

The additional costs should not be underestimated. Good paper does cost real money. For the start, I have oriented myself at the lower end.

But … the result is rewarding it!

In addition to the paper there is a need for various small material … Storage of the prints (e.g. Seawhite), paper cutting machine (e.g. Dahle 554), separation-sheets / paper-jackets, etc.

Is it worth it? Yes!