[I tried printing] The charm of Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Metallic

You cannot talk about European art without mentioning Hahnemuhle Fine Art, which has a history of over 400 years.

Many works of art that still exist after all these years, such as Renaissance paintings, Shakespeare's works, and Gudenburg's Bible, are made using cotton-based paper .

Additionally, with the changing times, paper is now made not only from cotton but also from a material called ``alpha cellulose,'' which supports many artists.

It is only because of the evolution of the times that historic paper made from cotton and alpha cellulose can be used in the fields of photography and illustration.

The popular Hahnemühle series ranks among the top recommended papers for "PHOTOPRI".

There are many types of paper in the Hahnemühle series, but "PHOTOPRI" has carefully selected 6 types .

Well, in this article, we will focus on Photo Rag Metallic.

"I've never printed on glossy paper."

“What are the characteristics of Photo Rag Metallic?”

“What kind of photos and illustrations are suitable for?”

I am writing this for those who have such concerns and concerns.

<Handling paper>

• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] German Etching <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Torchon <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] FineArt Pearl <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag Baryta <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag Metallic <Go to product page>

[Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag Metallic selection

I still can't forget the impact I had when I first saw Photo Rag Metallic .

A piece of silver metallic paper is just so cool.

I don't know what to say, but it's "paper."

I've never felt cool looking at paper before, so I think those who pick up metallic will experience the same impact as me.

I would like to take a look at some of the characteristics and points to keep in mind when using metallics.

strong reflection

The first characteristic of metallic is its "strength of reflection."

I think it's because of this "reflection" that I can't forget the impact I had when I saw it for the first time.

Glaring.

When you look at glossy paper, you might think it's shiny or sparkling, but metallic paper is more glaring .

The company's Photolag Baryta has the same reflective strength as metallic, but you can feel the shine better with metallic.

(The left side is metallic. The right side is Photolag Baryta.)

Also, the metallic surface is not completely flat, but has a textured three-dimensional surface .

Thanks to this three-dimensional effect, for example, a photo of a building will feel even more powerful.

Points to note: 1) If the reflection is strong, it will be difficult to see.

However, there are some precautions to be taken when using this paper.

This means that the photographs may be difficult to see depending on the exhibition situation .

The reflection is so strong that it is difficult to see the photo itself from an angled perspective.

No matter how you adjust the lighting in the venue, this reflection will still be present, making it difficult to see.

For example, some people in wheelchairs may find it difficult to use metallic colors in exhibits because they will be viewing the exhibits from a lower perspective.

I think it's nice to view works of A0 size or larger in metallic colors, but realistically, I feel that it would be easier to view the exhibits if they were compacted into smaller sizes, up to A3 size.

Achieves a high level of density, color gamut, and gradation expression

The second characteristic of metallic is that it has a high level of density, color gamut, and gradation expression .

Many Hahnemühle papers have excellent color expression.

In the case of paper finished with a special finish such as metallic, the color gamut may be narrowed or the gradation expression may be unsatisfactory, but the high level of metallic finish is achieved at places like Hahnemühle. Shall we?

(Printed material is on the left, data is on the right.)

The blue color in the data is ``Hana-Nazuo'', but when you output it, the blue becomes lighter and looks like ``Luriiro''.

When choosing paper, I think it's important to pay particular attention to how the blue color will appear after printing.

Even if the same image data is used, the blue color varies greatly depending on the printing paper.

Compared to the image data, some colors may be faded, and others may appear pale.

When printing metallic, I think it will work well if the work has strong contrast .

Points to note ② It is difficult to convey the texture of the subject

The second thing to keep in mind when printing with metallic is that it is difficult to convey the texture of the subject .

For example, let's say you want to print "a single leaf" taken during the fresh green season in metallic color.

I'm trying to convey the details of the surface of the leaves and the strength of the green color, but the paper itself's characteristic "silver metallic" color and strong reflections get in the way and prevent me from conveying what I want to convey. This is likely to happen.

You should be aware that there is a risk that your view of the world at the time of shooting may be drastically changed .

What kind of photos/illustrations are suitable?

Metallic is not a paper that can be used for general purposes, but I think it is a paper that can achieve both coolness and fun, and its true value can be demonstrated by using it on a limited basis .

Personally, I feel that abstract works are more suitable than concrete photographs.

You should also keep in mind that major characteristics such as strong reflection, wide color gamut, and smooth gradation can actually hinder the work.

If you're wondering if you can convey exactly what you want to convey in your work, it doesn't seem like the paper will be able to faithfully express it.

That said, I do believe that there are styles that go well with metallics.

Recommendations for monochrome photography

Even among monochrome photographs, I feel that it is particularly suited to a clear style with strong contrast .

Mono, sepia, and silver tone tones look good, but slightly avant-garde works with clear black and white (like the noir style of the iPhone) look even cooler.

If you like black-and-white photos and often take them, please consider this opportunity.

Not suitable for illustrations?

At PHOTOPRI, we receive orders from many illustrators, but it seems that it is difficult to use metallic for illustration printing .

When it comes to illustration printing, Epson's premium matte paper, art paper, velvet fine art paper, and Hahnemuehle papers such as Photorag and Torsion are very popular.

I would like to continue exploring the matching of illustrations and metallics.

bonus

Metallic is part of Hahnemühle's "Glossy Fine Art" paper series.

As mentioned above about metallic, some of you may be wondering, "What is fine art paper?", so I would like to add some explanation about "fine art paper." Please forgive me if my expressions may be a little harsh. lol

What is fine art paper?

Fine art paper is one type of paper whose ``quality as paper'' has dramatically improved due to improvements in inkjet printing technology.

As it became possible to reproduce digital images with the same high definition and quality as traditional silver halide photography, the possibilities of this technology were immediately considered in the photography and art industries.

A major feature of fine art paper is that it has both ``preservability'' and ``texture.''

Raw materials include cotton, wood, and bamboo, but PHOTOPRI uses cotton-based fine art paper.

Cotton-based fine art paper is made of lignin (a component that makes up 20-30% of wood. Paper derived from wood naturally contains lignin, so it deteriorates over time. By the way, books change color because of lignin. (Due to a chemical reaction between ultraviolet rays and lignin), it can be stored for a long time.

There are many fine art paper suppliers, such as Hahnemuhle (Germany), PICTORICO (Japan), and Canson (France), and there is a wide variety of paper types.

In terms of future possibilities, the fine art paper that has evolved in Europe is expected to further evolve, and at the same time, new fine art papers may be born from Asia.

It is believed that fine art paper will penetrate not only those in the art industry but also individual creators. Along with this, it is highly likely that the types of paper itself will increase and become more segmented.

<Handling paper>

• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] German Etching <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Torchon <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] FineArt Pearl <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag Baryta <Go to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag Metallic <Go to product page>

[Hahnemuhle] Would you like to try printing Photo Rag Metallic?

Just like you take a test drive when you buy a car, we want you to use the trial print service and experience the paper for yourself before printing.

You can't really understand the texture, texture, color reproduction, etc. of a wide variety of papers, such as glossy paper, matte paper, fine art paper, and Japanese paper, until you actually hold the printed material in your hands.

Even if you try to choose the best one from a large number of papers, it may be difficult. There are many people who don't know which one to choose.

You can print a trial print using your own photo data .

We have a trial set that suits your preferences, so please take advantage of it!