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.

  

Review--Hahnemuehle Bamboo Fine Art Inkjet Paper 290 gsm

An exciting aspect of digital inkjet printing is the wide range of paper surfaces available, an important element of the print’s expression. Now, a new concept in paper composition, surface and “look” has become available—Hahnemuehle’s Bamboo 290gsm, part of the company’s “Natural” lineup.

Photo: Courtesy Hahnemuehle: The Hahnemuehle Natural Lineup includes Bamboo, the subject of this review, and Agave and Hemp made papers. The other papers in the lineup will be reviewed in a future posting.

There are two aspects to the Natural line that make them intriguing: one is the sustainable manufacturing process. All the materials that supply the cellulose in these papers are made from raw materials that require minimal maintenance, grow quickly and do not need any pesticides. The other is their unique look and feel. This review covers Hahnemuehle’s Bamboo paper, dubbed by the company to be ideal for “spiritual” black and white and color images. In addition, the paper is made with no OBAs (optical brightening agents) and has “certified archivability”—their phrase, not mine.

Paper Surface and Rendition

Bamboo is a natural white, warm tone paper with a lightly textured, almost buff surface that I found to be an interesting choice for warm tone and certain other monochrome images. The paper is somewhat warm, but not brown/yellow, although when a blank sheet is held next to a bright white paper the differences become apparent.  In my tests it also performed well with color, albeit those that lend themselves to a low-saturation rendition. In terms of monochrome, it gave me impressive results from a series of images made with an IR (infrared) altered digital camera, probably the most expressive prints from those images I have ever made. Perhaps as important, it engenders a search for other images that would benefit from its unique look and feel.

My first instinct for testing was a group of images made with an IR-converted DSLR. This photo was made in The Everglades, and the paper match was just right and resulted in the most expressive prints I have ever made from this set. Copyright George Schaub.

Test Procedure

I did my tests using a Canon Pro-1000 printer and processed via Photoshop. I first downloaded the ICC profile from the Hanhnemuehle web site (www.hahnemuehle.com) and added it to my Color Sync profiles on my Mac. I printed using the dedicated profile in Photoshop managed color as well as printer managed (with black and white checked in the dialog box for monochromes), choosing heavy weight matte as the media. Both worked with matte black ink. The fairly heavy weight (290 gsm) requires a single sheet rear loading procedure with this Canon and other similar level desktop printers.

This is a single-sided (coated) paper, so it’s important to determine the printable side, as the slight texture can make it difficult at first to tell front from back. You can feel the difference by running your fingertip along the surface to feel the grain, which is slight in this paper. I could also see a distinct difference in the surfaces when angling the paper back and forth under a strong light. The company literature advises, if need be, to get a sense of front from back by slightly wetting your finger to feel the more “resistant” grain, although I hesitated to do this, fearing I would harm the print surface, but if you do this be sure to do so along an edge.

The company also advises that you might get a slight coating loss onto the print transport after running numerous prints, and suggests that you run one or a few (uncoated) standard sheets through to clear the transport, which should handle any problems. (Note: I did not notice any problems in that regard after going through 25 sheets of 13x19” paper.)

Print Controls and Options

As mentioned, I ran some tests using both printer and Photoshop managed color, the former using “heavyweight Fine Art matte” and the latter using the downloaded profile. Side-by-side I noticed slight differences in the darker values, with the profiled print showing slightly more open values, but nothing dramatic. There was also a very slight difference in the print color, with the Photoshop-profiled one being somewhat more neutral in tone than the printer-profiled one, which was a tad warmer.

While tonal values on prints are not always literally translated to repro, the paper can produce a deep black, although it certainly does not have the snap found in glossy or Vellin surfaces. It's more like a "buff" black look, akin to charcoal or chalk pastel. Copyright:  George Schaub

One control you might want to test is found in the small checkboxes under the preview in Photoshop, particularly “Match Print Color.” Click it on and off to see what best matches the image you have loaded. In some cases it can be quite noticeable, and assuming your setup is profiled it will give you a better visual idea of what will result. In some cases it can help with “un-muddying” darker values and resulted in a crisper, though not deep black, but again test this, as it seems to be image dependent.

Image Intent

This brings up matching image with idea and result with intent. This is a paper that renders values in a unique way, one that you could describe as “spiritual.” It’s not a matter of sharpness, but of mood. I would not choose this paper for color-rich or deep black value images, which I usually print to bring out the “snap.” That’s why my first instinct was working with those IR images, which have unique mid-range and especially highlight values. In that sense it is a paper designed for select, not general printing.

Bamboo is versatile enough to allow you to create a wide range of expression. This photo was made with a Lensbaby auxiliary lens and has a naturally soft "aura." I dropped the saturation to match the mood and came up with a look and feel that was quite different from any print I had ever made from this image. Copyright George Schaub

This became apparent when I switched from IR to landscapes with high contrast values, which I usually print on a Vellin or smooth rag surface. The blacks are there in the Bamboo stock, but have a feeling of buff rather than hard rendition. I printed some images deep with very slightly suppressed highlights, and found that every nuance came through in both highlights and mid-tones. In any case it’s a unique look, one that creates an entirely different impression than other papers.

(One tip is to give the print time to dry down before you make any quick adjustments. The print sets after an hour or so, although you probably should give it more time before you rush back to change the contrast or value settings, especially in dark tonal areas.)

One option perhaps worthy of exploration is making copy prints from old images. I copied this carte de visite from the nineteenth century and tried it out and got a nice rendition of values that, combined with the print surface, gave it a true look and feel.

Conclusion

Overall, I always welcome new papers to add to my creative gamut, and given the right image and processing, Hahnemuehle’s Bamboo 290 gsm will hold a special place in my paper stock cabinet when it comes to nature, landscape and even portraiture. While monochrome printers should certainly consider checking it out, those trying it with color images of a certain mood and style will also find new expressive avenues to explore.

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

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: Hemp is a bright white matt paper with a slight textural surface, ideal for color work; and Agave has a more textural surface with a bright white base. All the papers are 290gsm and none use optical brighteners.