Comment choisir du papier photo pour l'impression ?

La photographie n'est pas seulement un passe-temps ni une profession - c'est un art. Bien que, étant différent de nombreux autres passe-temps, il faut un dévouement, des compétences et du talent pour finir par faire quelque chose d'exceptionnel. Choisir le papier optimal n'est peut-être pas aussi simple qu'on le pense. Je dirais que cette partie est la plus difficile pour un néophyte. N'ayant aucune expérience dans ce domaine, il devient difficile de sélectionner le bon papier photo à utiliser.

Entrez dans un magasin et vous verrez de nombreux papiers photo tels que mat, brillant, soie, etc. Sans aucun doute, un photographe professionnel donne vie à chaque photo, mais pour obtenir le même résultat, il faut certaines compétences.

Je considère toujours le métier de photographe comme exquis et axé sur le talent. Surtout lorsque vous êtes débutant, vous êtes guidé par de nombreuses suggestions, mais je suis sûr que seule une poignée d'entre elles sont utiles. Discutons de certains des points essentiels que vous devrez garder à l'esprit.

Acheter du papier photo de marque ou ordinaire 

Des marques comme Canon, HP et Epson promettent d'offrir une variété d'encres et de papiers de la meilleure qualité. Et, ils n'offrent rien de moins que le meilleur. Leurs papiers photo sont de haute qualité, donnant à chaque papier un effet unique. Cela fonctionne bien, car certaines entreprises conçoivent des papiers personnalisés pour le jet d'encre et donnent d'excellents résultats.

Donc, mon conseil pour vous est d'utiliser des papiers photo recommandés par le fabricant. Cela vous permettra d'obtenir une impression optimale, sans obtenir une finition terne ou un problème de décoloration.

D'autre part, pour les imprimantes laser, vous pouvez utiliser des papiers laser fabriqués localement ou ordinaires. Ces imprimantes peuvent utiliser les imprimantes ordinaires. Que vous choisissiez des papiers photo A3 ou autres, le but est d'obtenir une impression de qualité.

Poids et épaisseur

Le poids d'un papier est le poids d'un mètre carré de papier, exprimé en gsm (grammes par mètre carré). L'épaisseur du papier, quant à elle, est décrite en mils (millièmes de pouce).

Choix du papier photo

Un moyen efficace de réussir une impression consiste à utiliser le bon papier. Si vous envoyez votre collection à un laboratoire, vous aurez une grande variété de papiers. Cependant, pour être un expert, vous devez connaître les différents papiers et leurs caractéristiques.

Chaque finition de papier a ses propres caractéristiques. En voici quelques-uns et leur caractère unique :

Mat

This one gives darker blacks and with a good contrast. It also provides fine details of the image. Another good thing about matte is that it does not create distracting reflections.

Art Paper

It is similar to a water-color paper, offering a matte finish along with a fair amount of texture. It provides a different overall look, with differentiating degree of color and contrast. It gives a new look to the image. Some images may appear beige or strong yellow and some more painterly in nature. Images that consist of a broad area of flat colors, similar to landscape, work very well on these.  Fine art papers can feel good in a customer’s hands for special occasions.

Canvas

This gives a matte quality color and contrast. However, the color of the picture looks more vibrant  than the matte paper.  This is because of the unavailability of saturation and reduction in contrast, which is why the color gets enhanced. Even on A4 photo paper, the brightness of the image remains same.  It requires more care because of its rough texture.

Gloss and Semi Gloss

You will find a huge number of photographers attracted to this type. The reason behind this is the ‘rich’ color of the paper that appears in the image. If your aim is to click snapshots, gloss and semi gloss is definitely a ‘yes’.

However, the paper also creates shine and reflections that obscure your image. This type has a large impact on the image itself.  The more you know the effects of this paper type, the farther you will go away from it because of its poor finishing.

Durability and Longevity of Images

You must have noticed that photos fade after a few years. If you hang a photo in direct sunlight, within a short span of time its color becomes lighter. But, don’t worry, the good news is that pigment printers (inks produced through resins) offer images that are well off for over 100 years without any problem. And, even the dye printers deliver a good time period.

However, this is not the only way to increase the longevity of images; it also depends on the ink/paper combination. In order to have maximum longevity, read the instructions carefully. Most people make the mistake of not reading directions carefully. Even vendors recommend a specific type of paper for better durability. The later an image shows color shifts, the better quality paper it has.

What is Whiteness in Paper

Paper whitening is nothing but  adding white agents to it. There is nothing wrong with using such agents, as the main idea of using it is to enhance the quality of the picture. The only problem, which occurs while using whitening agents  is that the whiteness changes its color. In short, the paper will look extremely white initially, but after few weeks, its color changes to yellow. This creates a subtle change in the image. If you want an image to look the same over time, select a photo paper that does not include artificial brighteners. To recognize the difference between one with artificial brighteners and an ordinary one is that the former will be brighter on one side than the other, and the latter will be same on both sides.

Printing on an Everyday Basis 

There is a chance that you may need printouts on an everyday basis. The good thing is you can use any paper type.  If cost is not an issue, you can look for expensive paper; however, even an ordinary paper will be good enough to serve the purpose of basic printing.

The cheapest paper you can look for is the one called ‘inkjet paper’.

Brightness of Papers

Brightness is the measurement of the amount of reflectance of blue light.  Even though all papers seem to be bright, professionally, it is expressed in the range from 1 to 100. If you require high whiteness in the paper, use the one that is close to the 90s. Either the colors appear more vibrant or with light colors, they come out to be more washed out in a bright paper. Matte paper is used more for brightness than semi-gloss or gloss. To determine the brightness, use two photographs such as A4 photo paper made of matte and gloss.

It is true that some colors will look beautiful on creamy white papers, while some on a matte paper, that’s why you need to be careful while selecting. In addition to this, the thickness and weight of the paper also should be according to the need. Thinner papers are more preferred instead of thick ones.

Tips for Better Printing

If you are printing on your own printer, it would be economical to start with the manufacturer’s paper. In fact, many well-known companies who make photographic printers make their own papers and inks. These are specifically designed in order to match the characteristics of the printer delivering quality results.

If you are open to experimenting with different papers, there are many papers that can be in your budget. There are endless choices  for photo paper; spend some time to choose your favorite paper.

Most people are confused where to begin when initiating photography printing. Whether we select A5 photo paper of any type or another we need experience in selecting the right one. To avoid mistakes, it is good to have proper guidance or look for professional assistance.  

You can read more about fine art printing for photographers here.