Choice of Print Paper?

[bcshort]

Hi All,
After a significant absence, I am finding myself being drawn back into photography, particularly as a secondary income source having sold a few prints recently.

I'm typically looking at selling landscape nature photos up to about 24" x 30" size.

There are many different sorts of print media out there, such as Lustre/Satin, Gloss, Photo Rag, Metallic and more.

For the moment, I've been selling on Photo Rag with the belief that if the prints are to be framed, the matte finish is a good thing, plus the photo rag paper feels more textured. I do worry a bit about sharpness/detail though.

For those selling professionally, I'm seeking a general idea of whether using Photo Rag is the best way, or should I use a different media? If you use different medias for prints, what guides your decision to use which media?

 

[webestang64]

I'm a fan of Lustre for large ink jet (Kodak paper printed on a Epson 9900). 90% of my color images are printed and sold on Lustre but I also like Metal prints on aluminum sheets, here at my lab we only go to 16x24 metal but that is fine with me.

 

[Joris H]

I always print on photo rag for framing. Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta is one of my favorites.

 

[mrca]

It depends on the image. A soft, pastelly landscape, a mat paper. I like epson cold press bright and the texture doesn't overpower larger prints. A landscape with bright colors, lots of detail, epson baryta with huge gamut. For portraits, Epson Platine which is a cotton base but has nearly the black point and gamut of baryta and uses photo black ink. For me the best of both worlds, the feel of an art paper and the image quality of a resin coated. Not quite the brightness of whites as baryta, but no oba's so it is archival. Love it for toned black and whites or with modest whites. For black and white with bright whites, epson exhibition fiber, large gamut and bright white paper that is the white in your black and white. Less detail and slightly lower gamut, painterly feel, canvas and could be mat as well.

 

[Jeff15]

I only print for competition, the paper I use is for the most part is glossy........

 

[mrca]

Jeff, I just competed recently after an 8 yr hiatus and won class and over all printing on epson baryta because it fit the image. Lots of folks like metallic for competitions for images with lots of detail and bright colors as the metallic really makes them pop. They are glossy papers.