A Look at Epson Papers and Profiles for the 2200

Shadows

And, of course, a prime candidate for regions of black and near-black are shadows. But shadows on matte paper present an additional challenge. Take a look at fig. 2 once more. Here we see the grassy verge of a small lake in deep shadow. The colours are shades of dark green. What you see in fig. 2 is also very much what you would see in an RC paper print of fig. 2.

Fig. 2 again. Dark shadow greens

Fig. 3, however, shows what fig. 2 looks like when printed on matte paper with pigment inks:

Fig. 3. Dark shadow greens on Velvet Fine Art or Enhanced Matte using the new Epson profiles

The dramatically washed-out effect happens because the dark greens are created from a mixture of black, cyan, and yellow inks. Because black ink on matte paper is less than true black, so any dark shade of any vivid colour – reds, oranges, greens, blues, etc. – will also be affected. In contrast, skin tone shadows, city architectural shadows, and any other shadow of a subject with muted colours will be unaffected by this issue.

Actually, fig. 3 is a relatively mild case. Here is what fig. 2 looks like on some other matte papers:

Fig. 4. Dark shadow greens on Watercolour – Radiant White using the new Epson Profile

But you don’t need these illustrations to see this effect. If you’ve downloaded the new profiles, all you need to do is to download fig. 2, open it in Photoshop, then switch between the various profiles in soft-proof mode.

Gamut

The above are considerations that particularly affect matte papers. Gamut is an issue that applies to both matte and RC paper stocks. Just as latitude, contrast, and dynamic range are terms we use to discuss the range of brightnesses from pure black to pure white, so gamut is the term we use to describe the range of colour intensities from pure red, blue, green, yellow, etc. to black. (The axis from white to grey to black is actually just another aspect of gamut, but because photography began with so-called black-and-white materials, white-grey-black acquired its own vocabulary.)

Most RC papers have an excellent gamut compared to matte papers, but matte papers can have very nearly as much gamut as RC, except for the above-mentioned problem with blacks and shadows. A picture of clowns in a tulip garden at mid day will appear nearly as vivid on matte paper as on RC. However, there are extremes of saturation for most hues that can be displayed on a monitor but cannot be reproduced with any current ink and paper combination. Certain deep, bright greens, blues, and violets are familiar culprits. And, as described above, matte papers have a much more difficult time with dark saturated colours than RC papers do.

Matte Paper Coatings

You didn't want to know all this stuff did you? But if you're going to use matte paper, you're going to pull your hair out trying to cope with its weaknesses; the better you understand the factors involved the better will be your chance of success. Matte papers are coated with a ceramic (clay-like) substance to enhance their response to ink. Legion's Somerset Velvet is a famous paper that uses a coating that seeps into the paper base. Hahnemühle Photo Rag is an example of a paper with a coating that stays more on top of the base. You can read more about this here, but the gist is that coatings that stay on top have the downside of scuffing and flaking, but also the upside of better gamut and deeper blacks. Epson's matte papers use a stay-on-top coating.

Whites

Matte papers naturally have the cream colour of their base material unless certain chemicals called optical brightening Agents (OBAs) are added. Reading the fine print on Henry Wilhelm’s site, we learn that optical brighteners have a habit of fading with age, so the longevity numbers for an optically brightened paper will be limited by the time to fading.

Bases

Almost everything so far discussed has been a property of the coating applied to the upper surface of the paper. The paper base itself also varies. RC papers are wood pulp sandwiched between layers of white plastic. Matte papers are either wood pulp based, like typewriter stock and newsprint, or are made from cotton rag – more expensive, more prestigious, but not necessarily more archival.

Physical characteristics

Papers vary in thickness, heaviness/density, whiteness, opacity, reflectance, surface roughness/texture, coating fragility, and waterproofness, for starters. These are all fairly familiar concepts. So far as I know, RC papers all start out life being glossy, then have a pattern of fine indentations stamped into their surfaces to diffuse reflectance into a sheen. Matte papers acquire their rough texture from the natural properties of the base material plus an optional impressed pattern. In fact, most matte papers are based on traditional watercolour papers, such as Somerset Velvet, with the addition of ink-friendly coatings.

In addition to all their other infirmities, matte papers are very easily scuffed. Because the black ink sits on top of the coating rather than sinking into it, the slightest contact with a hard surface, such as the edge of another sheet of paper, leaves a scratch behind.

Now we have the background with which to review some Epson papers for the 2200:

- 2 -