Review--Hahnemuehle Hemp Fine Art Natural

This is the second paper review in the Natural Line, with the March 30, 2020 posting in this blog covering Bamboo. 

Hahnemuehle’s Natural Line is thus far composed of three papers: Bamboo, Hemp, and Agave, the latter two being the more recent additions. I refer readers to the above-mentioned posting for info on manufacturing and other aspects that make this group an interesting option for inkjet printmakers.

The neutral warm tone of Hahnemuehle's Hemp inkjet paper, part of the "Natural" trio of recently introed papers, brings to mind Agfa's Portriga (silver halide) paper, albeit with a textural surface. This print was made using Printer Managed Color in Photoshop on an Epson SureColor P-800. I printed using Epson's Advanced B&W mode--see other setup specs below. Copyright: George Schaub

Hemp, like its sister papers, is a medium/heavy weight paper (290 gsm) that requires single sheet feeding in desktop printers like the Epson SureColor P-800 and Canon imagePROGRAF 1000. Its substrate is composed of 60% hemp fiber and 40% cotton white. Paper cast, or tone, is slightly cooler than Bamboo: setting it between standard 20lb copy paper and Bamboo shows that while not bright white it is less warm than Bamboo, which makes for a somewhat different approach to print setup. There are no optical brightening agents added so the values portrayed after the dry down are those that should stick for quite a long time, given proper storage and display.

I tested a box of 13x19” Hemp using a Mac Mini and Epson SureColor P-800. I worked with both printer-managed color (using Epson’s Advanced B&W mode in the setups) and Photoshop managed with Hahnemuehle’s ICC profile, available at https://www.hahnemuehle.com/en/digital-fineart/fineart-media/natural-line/p/Prod.

Paper Handling

While distinguishing front and back on Bamboo was a bit problematic at first (quickly learned after a bit of practice) the surface on the Hemp paper is slightly more textured—not ruffled or watercolor textured but enough so that a quick rub of the finger will note the bite. The Epson requires a front feed for fine art stock like this, and transport was smooth without one mis-fed sheet or jam throughout the sessions, indicating a nice flat layout that did not need reverse curling like some heavier fine art stock.

I chose a few nature scenes (including one from the set of Everglades IR shots tested with Bamboo) but as I worked I became more interested in architectural images, perhaps because of the more neutral tones. (This of course is a matter of personal taste.) Like any printmaking session, how you set up the printing parameters, and what you learn from the choices you make will greatly affect results and your satisfaction with what the paper can deliver. Here’s what worked for me and what I learned.

Printer-Managed Color

I have been a fan of Epson’s Advanced B&W mode for many years, especially with its upgrade a few years back, so I tried that first. In the Photoshop print dialog box I chose Printer Managed Color, then opened Print Settings and chose size (13x19), load (front fine art) and, because the Epson driver wants to hear about surface to manage ink distribution, a type of paper--from the surface of the Hemp stock I deduced Cold Press Natural.

Note: this is just a coincidence and does not mean the Hahnemuehle paper matches that surface exactly, but it was the best setting I found. You can try others and each will give you a somewhat different look, although straying into any Luster or Gloss or even Satin finish will not be a good choice as ink laydown for these are quite different than for matte stocks like Hemp. Also, this model Epson switches out black ink channels depending on paper surface choice, and you certainly do not want PK ink (gloss absorption) rather than MK (for matte surface papers) or waste ink supplies on switchovers.

Using Printer Managed Color with this model Epson allows access to Epson's Advanced B&W controls, which allows leeway in choosing warm to cold rendition. Of course, this is in addition to the "color" or tint of the paper itself, which here is slightly warm (though not as warm as Bamboo, in my tests). A slightly blue tone was added here resulting in a cool (not blue) biased overall tone. Copyright: George Schaub

As mentioned, I chose Printer Managed Color in the dialog box and in the print settings picked Cold Press Natural; Epson Advanced B&W, neutral tone; high speed and finest detail. Also, I suggest you open up the Levels Adjustment Layer and check that the histogram is tucked into the full gamut (in other words, highlight and shadow deltas hit the edge of the highlight and shadow values.) You can adjust the midtones as desired, but pinching in the outer deltas, in my way of printing, improved the darker tones and avoided muddiness without losing lower value separation. This will of course be image dependent, but do try these options to see how they affect results.

To bring out strong shadows and highlights you may have to work with the Levels or Curves Adjustment Layer and "fill the gamut", then modify with the midtone areas. Keep in mind that there is a drydown on this paper than can result in richer deep values, but getting close right out of the printer is best. Copyright: George Schaub

This is the type of image and result that made me think of the classic #2 Agfa Portriga silver paper developed in Dektol. Gray values are smooth and creamy, with rich though not opaque blacks, and even spectral highlights (reflections of the Spree on a government building in Berlin) are rendered with texture and separation. Copyright: George Schaub

Photoshop Managed Color

By far the easier route is Photoshop MC. You can still tweak as desired, but downloading and choosing the profile in your setup box avoids, in my tests, the histogram work and overall yielded the best tonal values and reproed the screen preview in my first proof. You will note a few checkboxes beneath the Preview window in the Photoshop print dialog box. The two of note here are Show Paper White and Match Print Colors. Toggle them on and off to see the difference. You may note a shift of contrast and especially rendition of shadow and black tones. Once done, this shows a very good proof of output, so print it out, then tweak via burning, dodging, and kicking up local contrast etc. to get to your final, which thus becomes a two print process. In other words, this workflow brought me to a work plateau that bypassed the basic fussiness and let me consider the corners and local values called for right after the first proof. 

Workflow is of course your call, but I suggest you do a few test sheets following both paths, Photoshop and printer Managed Color, and discover the differences for yourself, and see what suits you best. 

…And Color Prints Too?

I must admit that my first choice for this surface are monochromes, but did want to check out how it performed with color. Well, just fine for certain ones, although my first instinct is not to [print color on a warm-bias paper such as this. But when you are after a certain look and feel that would benefit from this warmth (nature scenic, florals, impressionistic landscapes—well, that’s quite a few areas) then it can serve as a very pleasant complement to the image itself. My tests were limited in this regard, but I did find that the Photoshop Managed Color (with ICC profile) was the truest proofing method, and frankly when time permits I will get into color printing with this paper by exploring my files for likely candidates.

While I first thought that Hemp would not be my first choice for color work, my tests showed me that there are certain images that gain a special look on this paper. This is a copy stand shot of a hand-colored (Marshall Photo Oils) silver print done many years back. First, the image "belongs" on a lightly textured surface, and second the warmth of the stock was a prefect match. More testing on late afternoon light nature shots is definitely in order for me. Copyright: George Schaub

 Conclusions and Recommendations

For those darkroom workers old enough to remember, Hahnemuehle Hemp is somewhat akin to Agfa Portriga developed in Dektol, albeit with a matte surface. Translation: a warm tone paper developed in a cold tone developer. In other words, while shadows and deeper values are “warmish” due to the tone of the substrate (and of course the ICC profile) they are certainly not overly so. (An advantage of using the Epson Advanced B&W mode are the numerous presets for various monochrome renditions, from cool to quite warm, options that await further exploration in my tests.) Depending on processing, of course, highlights are well rendered, even when they are spectral (that is, interference patterns like sun on water). With some practice you can reveal deep blacks and low value separation without going “muddy” or having to do gymnastics to maintain value separation. 

When I consider a paper to include in my stock I consider how it encourages me to explore my image files to find a good match or to simply find new expression for a previously printed shot. This is not what I’d call a general use paper, and my inclination is to use it mainly with monochrome images, but, as mentioned, it has intriguing possibilities for color I have yet to explore. It is for me, in many ways, a paper that holds promise to expand visual and creative options.

More information: https://www.hahnemuehle.com/en/digital-fineart/fineart-media/natural-line/p/Prod.