Papers For Dye Based Printers

Dye based printers undoubtedly still offer the most classically photographic results from inkjet printers. The latest printers have extraordinarily wide colour gamuts, deep inky blacks, and fantastic saturation.

The chief disadvantage is of course print longevity - however recent developments have led to paper/ink combinations with life spans of 25 years and up (in some cases up to 75 years!) so the future is looking bright (and colourful!) for these printers.

If you want to get the very best longevity out of a dye based printer, then consider using papers with a swellable coating (i.e. Ilford Classic Pearl or Ilford Classic Gloss, and you can read more about different types of coatings here).

We've divided the papers into 5 surface types:

Matte Paper, smooth
Matte Paper, textured
Semi-Gloss (Lustre)
High Gloss
Canvas

Fine Art Matte Papers (Smooth)

Traditional opinion holds the best of these papers with dye based printers is definitely Hahnemuehle Photo Rag, which has the widest gamut and best blacks of any of the fine art papers (with both dye and pigment inks). If you want to try a fine art paper with your dye based printer, this is the one to go for.

Recently, Crane Portfolio Rag has emerged as a very serious alternative to Photo Rag - it's brighter white (despite not having optical brighteners), has a stronger surface, and tends to sit more flatly as well (meaning it loads into printers more easily in general).

Finally, if you're looking for a really slick and smooth fibre based matte paper, then the new Harman Fibre Based Baryta Matte has a lovely, silky feel. It's a lovely bright white too, so has a very clean look.

Fine Art Matte Papers (Textured)

Textured papers can really suit some images and applications, and while some photographers get a little precious about photographs trying to imitate paintings, these sorts of papers really can add a whole new element to your work and limiting all your output to smooth papers is silly - you should always seek to use the best expressive medium for your images.

Unlike smooth papers, there are a LOT of options that a really good and it's really hard to get a sense of what to buy without seeing them - why not invest in some sample packs to get started?

We carry a number of interesting options, all with superb quality coatings for inkjet printing - here are some favourites:

Hahnemuehle Torchon - A classic watercolour Torchon paper with an irregular texture

Hahnemuhle German Etching - Absolutely classic etching style paper with a classy texture

Canson Watercolour Digital - Inexpensive and great for art reproduction work, with a natural warm tone/

Semi-Gloss (Lustre)

Semi-Gloss papers work really well with dye based printers and offer a great compromise between the punch of glossy papers, while still being resistant to marks and scratches.

Canson PhotoSatin - Beautiful 260 g/m2 Semi-Gloss paper. Instant drying, high weight paper that is resistant to marking, scratches and water! Offers excellent gamut and very high D-Max. Has a less sparkly surface than the Ilford paper below and is the paper I personally use for all our family photos etc - very classy.

Ilford Classic Pearl - Classic pearl surface with considerable sparkle, and a swellable coating, means beautiful photographic results and very long lasting prints from your dye based printer.

High Gloss Paper

True glossy papers with dye based printers offer the widest gamut and blackest blacks of all the inkjet printing processes. If you're looking for maximum punch from your images, this is the way to go!

Ilford Classic Gloss - Classic gloss surface, and a swellable coating, means beautiful photographic results and very long lasting prints from your dye based printer.

Canson PhotoGloss - 260 g/m2 High gloss paper. Instant drying, high weight paper that is resistant to marking, scratches and water! Offers excellent gamut and very high D-Max.

True Canvas

Canson Canvas is a truly superb option. Canson Canvas offers truly photographic results with all the qualities of a true artist's canvas. It is aesthetically far superior to alternatives such as GMS, Breathing Colour, Magic, Tetenal etc and is really worth trying if you've been disappointed (or anything less than seriously impressed!) by other brands.

Unhesitatingly recommended (and used here for our own very popular fine art canvas printing service).