Giclée papers
I’ve been printing professionally for 9 years, and in that time I’ve used lots of different papers. For Peradam I’ve selected my top 7* to stock as my standard offering. Every paper has a different quality, personality or credential, but certain papers can be grouped together as roughly fulfilling a particular function. I’ve selected papers that in my experience have been the top of its field in more than one category.
*I’ve recently added two more papers: canvas, and Somerset Photo Satin. I will write up reviews of each here as soon as I can.
Here’s my ultimate giclée paper selection:
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My favourite paper thanks to its superior sustainability and eco-credentials, as well as its versatility. Made of 60% hemp fibre, and 40% cotton - its production uses less water than its 100% cotton siblings. I rate it above Hahnemühle Bamboo because processing bamboo is more punishing on the environment compared with hemp or cotton, and it also tends towards being an invasive monoculture that is bad for biodiversity.
This paper is made in Germany by Hahnemühle, a mill with a history that goes back to 1584. A company as long-established as Hahnemühle is bound to have honed their craft, and as such they are world-renowned for the quality of their papers.
In terms of performance as a giclee paper, Hahnemühle Hemp is top of its field. The lightly-textured surface gives the paper life and personality that smooth matte papers lack, but is subtle enough that it doesn’t fall into the textured category. This gives this paper a huge versatility, suiting a range of different styles, from drawing and watercolour reproductions, to colour-saturated digital art. It performs well for photographs, offering good depths in the blacks and a superior tonal range.
This paper performs well in terms of longevity. It’s naturally a brilliant white without needing optical brightening agents, meaning this paper will outlast its OBA-treated siblings. Its acid and lignin free, and is ISO 9706 compliant for museum-quality high age-resistance.
Its main drawback is that the natural fibres in the paper can cause grey or black flecks to appear on the prints. The specks are usually not visible under the ink, but if you have a lot of white space then chances are there’ll be a visible speck.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: *****
Longevity: *****
Affordability: ***
Versatility: *****
Depth of blacks: ****
Flatness: ***
Specks: *
Weight: 290gsm
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This exquisite paper is made in Wells, only fifteen miles away from my studio in Frome. St Cuthberts Mill has been making paper since the 1700's, taking advantage of the pure waters of the River Axe. St Cuthbert’s Mill specialises in papers for printmakers, and uses one of the few remaining cylinder mould machines left in the world.
This is a heavyweight textured paper that reproduces paintings and pastel drawings particularly well. It also performs really well for digital art because its texture can counteract some of the slick lifelessness of digitally-made artwork, injecting it with life and soul.
Anyone who is used to printing onto Hahnemühle’s textured German Etching or Albrecht Durer will find this paper an excellent alternative.
It’s acid free, 100% archival cotton, highly lightfast, and contains low optical brightening agents, giving it a good lifespan without compromising on its brightness.
It scores one star higher than other cotton papers for sustainability because it’s locally sourced.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: ****
Longevity: ****
Affordability: ****
Versatility: ***
Depth of blacks: ***
Flatness: ***
Specks: *****
Weight: 330gsm
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I’ve included two papers that perform brilliantly for printing photographs: Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl, and Legacy Gloss. I’ll talk about the advantages of Fine Art Pearl later.
Given my background in photography, I’ve tried out a lot of different photographic papers. I’ve loved working on Baryta papers (coated with a mineral called barium sulphate) because they are so close to the rich fibre-based papers I printed on in the darkrooms at art school. But when Legacy Gloss came onto the market a few years back it was a game-changer for me. What pips it is that Legacy Gloss is more archival than Baryta, being 100% cotton, and acid, lignin, and OBA-free. Legacy Gloss has a warmer tone and softer texture than the Barytas I’ve used, which lends itself really well to traditional photography. Black and white photographs reproduce exceptionally well on this paper, with high density in the blacks. I’ve printed colour photographs to great success on this paper too. Overall this has come closest to the richness and life of those darkroom papers I was so fond of as a student.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: ***
Longevity: *****
Affordability: ***
Versatility: ***
Depth of blacks: *****
Flatness: **
Specks: ****
Weight: 325gsm
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This washi paper is a truly exquisite specialist offering that lends itself really well to reproducing drawings, historic documents, and antique book pages. It’s also good for specialist photographic projects.
Made by the Fujimori family in Tokushima, Japan, Awagami Factory produces washi from natural fibers, in this case a blend of hemp and mulberry.
It’s OBA free, and fully archival for excellent longevity. Though Inbe is a white washi paper, it still has a natural warmth that many giclee papers lack.
This paper scores top for environmental sustainability. Since antiquity, Japanese washi has been made from renewable plant resources that reach maturity in 1-2 years. Washi is created with significantly less harm to our environment compared to wood-pulp or cotton, in a clean and eco-friendly manner. In the traditional spirit of Japan, Awagami maintains a caring and nurturing focus on the environment using renewable plants and recycling all water used during production.
At only 70gsm, this paper is the lightest-weight I offer.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: *****
Longevity: *****
Affordability: ****
Versatility: ***
Depth of blacks: ***
Flatness: *****
Specks: ***
Weight: 70gsm
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My most popular paper, this 100% cotton paper is super-versatile, affordable, and high quality.
It’s made in the same factory as Hahnemühle’s Photorag (though this is not a Hahnemühle paper), and has a lot in common with it too. It performs very well for all art styles, including photography, painting, drawing, and digital art. It’s got great depth and saturation, good tonal range, and a clean white smooth surface.
The only areas it falls down on is that it doesn’t score as highly as Hemp on sustainability, and it’s been treated with optical brightening agents to gain its bright whiteness. OBAs compromise longevity (it’ll still last decades if kept well, but will lose its bright whiteness over time).
You can’t beat Xpressions smooth on price though, and for many of us that’s the deciding factor.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: ***
Longevity: ***
Affordability: *****
Versatility: *****
Depth of blacks: ****
Flatness: *****
Specks: ***
Weight: 300gsm
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I’ve included two papers that perform brilliantly for printing photographs: Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl, and Legacy Gloss (see above).
I’ve been printing on Fine Art Pearl since I was a photography student. It has an elegant pearl-satin surface that lends itself to contemporary photography. This paper performs exceptionally well in terms of contrast, colour saturation, consistency, and has a good tonal range and depth of black.
Being acid and lignin free, this alpha-cellulose paper will last a lifetime. But it achieves its brilliant whiteness through optical brightening agents, which means it won’t last the centuries of Legacy Gloss.
This paper has earned a solid reputation as a go-to paper for professional photographers across the world.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: ***
Longevity: ***
Affordability: **
Versatility: ***
Depth of blacks: ****
Flatness: ****
Specks: ***
Weight: 285gsm
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This beautiful alpha-cellulose textured paper has a wonderful tactile feel, and handles deep blacks exceptionally well. This is a great paper for reproducing watercolours, paintings and digital art.
It can be quite a curly paper that can’t be de-rolled, which is one of its only drawbacks.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: ***
Longevity: ***
Affordability: **
Versatility: ***
Depth of blacks: *****
Flatness: *
Specks: ****
Weight: 310gsm
So that’s my top 7. But I do offer 1 other paper, which (like the above papers) don’t require minimum order quantities.
Here’s 1 extra paper, and why I’ve included it in my secondary not primary offering:
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A workhorse photographic paper with a good depth in the black, a decent tonal range and colour saturation, all at an affordable price.
This is a paper I recommend for printing family photographs and portraits, as it has a similar quality to the matte/ pearl photo paper that chemists and photolab kiosks reproduced 35mm photos on back before digital photography (a process called c-type printing, different from giclee printing).
Its bright whiteness is thanks to optical brightening agents, meaning its not got the same longevity as Legacy Gloss. It’s the only paper I use that isn’t archival, and it’s for this reason it’s not listed in my main offering.
How it scores in each category:
Sustainability/ eco-credentials: **
Longevity: **
Affordability: *****
Versatility: **
Depth of blacks: ****
Flatness: ****
Weight: 290gsm
If there’s a paper you want to print on that’s not in my selections above, I’ll probably be able to get hold of it, subject to minimum orders and longer turnarounds. I love to collaborate with artists on creative projects, so don’t be afraid to ask about off-menu options.
There are some papers that I can’t print on:
Why I can’t print on uncoated papers
Giclée papers have a special invisible coating that stops the ink from bleeding out into the paper fibre. Using paper that’s not got this special coating will rinse through ink and the print heads, and ends up being a very costly business. For this reason I’ll only print with genuine giclée papers.
Glossary of paper terms
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Flatness means the degree to which the paper lays flat. Giclée papers are most affordable when printed from a roll rather than pre-cut sheets, but papers can differ in how much they “remember” their rolled states. I use a de-roller to flatten out most curly papers, but some papers aren’t as suited to this process and may need to be placed under heavy books for a few days to encourage them to flatten out. In the “flatness” category, more stars mean the paper will lay flat without too much encouragement. Fewer stars mean that they may need some TLC to flatten them.
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Specks refers to the appearance of grey or black flecks in the paper. Papers with natural fibres in them can contain flecks that can show up on your print. Usually such specks are hidden under ink, but if you have a lot of white space there’s a risk such a speck will appear. Some papers are more flecked than others; more stars means less chance of specks appearing on your prints.
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Grams per square meter: this is how thick the paper is.
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Optical Brightening Agents: bleaches that treat the paper to make it appear brighter and whiter. This treatment won’t last forever, so over time papers treated with OBAs will become less bright as the OBA breaks down.
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Cotton is made from cotton fibres, it’s a stable material that won’t change or discolour over time, unlike wood pulp papers.
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Made from wood pulp that has been purified of all acids and lignen, to prevent yellowing.
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Hemp contains hemp fibres, which uses less water than cotton in its manufacture, and is fast-growing. It’s strong and durable and won’t discolour over time.
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A natural paper made from mulberry tree fibres: stable, archival and durable.