What sort of paper ?!

justa1972

justa1972

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Justin
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Hello

I would like to print some of my photos of to frame - mono and a colour one.

I'm a bit bamboozled by the choice of paper on the web site I'm looking at - DS Colour Labs.

Any advice which paper to go for ?

thanks
 
Easiest & cheapest - Fuji C-type papers. They'll help to start you in the groove of printing. They also last well even on the wall if not in direct sun.

Inkjet papers - might last longer on the wall, but'll cost more - it's best to get a folder of sample prints if dscl will mail you one - check the website. That's the only way to get a clue, really.
 
Sample pack is the way to go. The type of finish varies quite significantly across different papers.

Best to think about the content of the images. Is it colour or B&W, are the colours important? If it's bright & vibrant, a glossier paper can bring that out. If it's moody and subdued, a matt paper can work better. Re the sample pack in the link above, German Etching is quite a heavily textured paper and thus can add/detract depending on the subject. Permajet's Photo Art Silk is supposed to be a matt paper but has the very finest of a sheen to it which I'm very much liking for high contrast B&W at the moment. Has a lovely feel. FB Gold Silk claims to have a "natural warm base tint" which I would call "a nasty yellow caste". So it's very much down to personal preference at the end of the day...
 
Also, because of the variability of inkjet papers, there is more need to explore 'soft-proofing' and appropriate image adjustment before sending files ...

Whatever, get some little prints done first on your chosen paper as a test of the process overall - you'd be looking for full tonal range, colour in the right ballpark, prints not too light or dark and how they tally with what you see on your screen. If you're lucky, it'll work out fine first time around.

Watch out for the DSCL postage charge!
 
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droj said:
Also, because of the variability of inkjet papers, there is more need to explore 'soft-proofing' and appropriate image adjustment before sending files ...

Whatever, get some little prints done first on your chosen paper as a test of the process overall - you'd be looking for full tonal range, colour in the right ballpark, prints not too light or dark and how they tally with what you see on your screen. If you're lucky, it'll work out fine first time around.

Watch out for the DSCL postage charge!
Click to expand...
Any other companies to look at ?
 
Everyone's going to have their favourites & there'll be a sprinkling of horror stories too. At some stage you just have to grasp the nettle & dive right in! A lot of it's up to you, to get your files right before you send them - that might be more important than variations between labs.

I dealt quite a lot with Peak in Sheffield for C-types but that was some years ago now. More lately I've used DSCL to good effect. I've had good results on inkjet from Printspace & Point 101, & people speak well of Loxley. But the field is open, really, and it's your adventure!
 
Hi

I too find it a touch confusing. Dcsl is not to far from me and so damn cheap. I used Loxely once. Results were lovely but in all honestly I could not tell any real differance in the finished product but the cost was way more.

So I use Dcsl for my prints and use Fuji Pro DP11 Lustre finish.
On occasion I have tried a couple of other finishes which are fine but I'm not a lover of the glossy look on the wall.

Have fun.

Gaz

​

 
cargo said:
So I use Dcsl for my prints and use Fuji Pro DP11 Lustre finish
Click to expand...
That's a good baseline. And the prints should last for ages on display if you keep them out of direct sunlight.

But inkjet (sometimes pretentiously called giclée) prints, on what are often styled as 'art' papers, should last longer, and there's quite a range of papers of different makes. In this case no lab will do all the papers, so if you like a particular paper, that can influence which lab you use.
 
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