Selecting a Photo Paper

Selecting the right photo paper can be confused, especially if you are just getting starting in printing and are unfamiliar with the variety of products available. Your instructor will probably specify exactly what paper you should begin to work with. For your reference we have summarized here the various specifications you must consider when shopping for photo paper. Be sure to indicate all of them when ordering by phone and check each of them against the label on the package to make sure that you are purchasing what you really want:

• Fiber-Based (FB) vs. Resin-Coated (RC): Fiber-based papers are just that: the emulsion is coated on a base of real paper. RC papers are coated on a base of plasticized paper which prevents the chemistry to sinking into it and makes for faster processing and washing times. RC papers also dry flatter and faster than fiber-based papers, and although they've been getting better and better, they still generally don't have the image-depth and richness of fiber-based papers nor the long-term archival stability of a properly washed fiber-based print. RC papers are excellent for contact sheets and work prints.

• Size and Quantity: Standard sizes are 8"x10" (25-sheet to 250 sheet boxes), 11"x14", 16"x20" and 20"x24" come in 10 sheet and 50 sheet packages. Some types of paper make come in 30"x40" sheets, and many papers are available in large rolls for mural printing.

• Graded or Multigrade: Graded papers have a specific contrast built into the paper which is indicated by a number (usually 1-5, the higher the number, the more contrasty the paper). Increasingly, manufacturers have been moving towards multigrade papers, which are more convenient and for which contrast is controlled by using a multigrade filter in the light path of the enlarger.

• Surface: Glossy, Semi-Matte or Matte are the usual choices. Glossy papers provide the greatest amount of detail and the widest range of tones (richest blacks, most brilliant whites); semi-matte or matte papers are preferable for hand-coloring or drawing into the image or for certain types of presentation in which a glossy look is not desirable.

• Weight: Single-weight or double-weight. This refers to the thickness of the paper base upon which the emulsion is coated. The single-weight varieties of many papers have been phased out because, although they're a bit cheaper, they are more difficult to wash and handle and may crack and crease if they are mounted. Note that RC papers come only in a single weight.

The chart on the following page may be helpful in sorting out some of the papers currently available.