[I tried printing] The charm of Hahnemuhle FineArt Pearl

Hahnemuhle Fine Art has a history of over 400 years in Germany, an art powerhouse.

You can't talk about European art without mentioning the traditional paper they produce.

Renaissance paintings, Shakespeare's works, Gudenburg's Bibles, and other works of art that have survived for many years still use "cotton"-based paper .

The history and tradition of paper can be used in the field of photography and illustrations only because of the evolution of the times.

The Hahnemühle series is a popular paper that can be especially recommended in "PHOTOPRI". There are many types of paper, but "PHOTOPRI" has carefully selected two types .

Photo Rag matte paper and FineArt Pearl glossy paper.

In this article, we will focus on FineArt Pearl .

"I have never printed on glossy paper."

"What are the features of FineArt Pearl ?"

"What kind of photos and illustrations are suitable?"

I will write for those who have troubles such as.

<Handling paper>

• [Hahnemuhle] FineArt Pearl <to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag <to product page>

[Hahnemuhle] Choosing FineArt Pearl

I will start with a conclusion about what kind of paper FineArt Pearl (hereinafter referred to as FineArt Pearl) is.

In a nutshell, works printed on fine art pearls give a “vivid impression” .

This is just my personal opinion, but I will write down the possible reasons why it makes me feel that way, along with the characteristics.

unique luster

Why is it possible to give a “vivid impression”?

The first reason is the unique luster of fine art pearls .

(↑The surface of the paper is fine-grained. Excellent compatibility with portrait photography.)

There are many glossy papers in the world, but the glossiness of Fine Art Pearl is clearly different from other papers.

It's a little difficult to describe, but it has a "weighty" glow .

The reason why it has such an impression is because it has a "pearl-like" surface quality . "Pearl" means that the brightness of the reflected light changes depending on the viewing angle.

I feel that most of the people who want to use this paper for printing are portraits and landscapes (of course, it is a versatile paper, so some people use it for Japanese-style illustrations and black-and-white photos. .)

Taking landscape photography as an example, when it comes to taking landscapes, the light of the sun and moon is captured, even if you don't want to. The expression of natural light that is faintly reflected like crepuscular rays looks impressive due to the pearl-like surface quality.

This surface quality is a major feature that is included in the name of fine art "Pearl", but it can be said that it is one of the essential features to give a lively impression.

"Fascinating with high contrast"

Why is it possible to give a “vivid impression”?

The second reason is that it feels like high contrast .

Contrast is often adjusted in camera settings and editing software. It's a rough way of saying it, but with the technology of modern editing software, it doesn't matter.

What I want to tell you here is also a story related to the "pearl tone" mentioned above.

When printing on paper with a pearl-like texture, there are moments when the color feels vivid because the way the reflected light is perceived changes depending on the angle .

For example, let's say you have a photo printed on fine art pearls displayed indoors.

For indoor exhibitions, I think there are people who place importance on lighting the work as a "final edit", but like in this case, depending on the angle from which the viewer sees the lighting, the photo can look completely different. I think that the strength of this paper is that it can be shown, and it is also interesting .

How it looks and feels changes depending on the viewer. At the same time, the change can be made into a space where the organizer can also enjoy.

It's hard to come across a unique and reassuring paper that is so attractive.

What kind of photos/illustrations are suitable?

This point is a little tricky. This is because there is no right or wrong answer for "the suitability of photographs and paper." As mentioned above, there is also a matter of taste.

…But I think that there are certain strengths and weaknesses depending on the paper, so please refer to it.

Almighty all-purpose paper.

Nothing is more confusing than versatility.

To be honest, I think I have the ability to match any kind of photo or illustration .

However, because the paper has a wide range of colors that can be reproduced (color reproducibility) , there is a possibility that the impact will be too strong if you combine it with a photo with pale colors or an illustration that emphasizes the transience.

It's the perfect paper if you want to create an elegant and luxurious look , so it's especially recommended for those who want to print photos taken in commemoration of something, or those who are looking for paper that can be stored for a long time. increase.

Good compatibility with monochrome photos.

This is my personal favorite way to use fine art pearls, so please use it as a reference only.

Like the Photo Rag developed in the Hahnemühle series, Fine Art Pearl will meet your expectations in terms of "black tightness" .

The black color has a depth that makes you nod involuntarily, just like when you drink a cup of rich coffee.

The deep black expression raises the level of the work itself.

I think this is something that you can't understand unless you actually print it out and see it up close, so I'm wondering what the content of the article is, but I'll post it anyway. smile

bonus

Fine art pearls have already been mentioned above, but since some of you may be asking, "What is fine art paper in the first place?" There may be some hard expressions, but please forgive me. smile

What is fine art paper?

Fine art paper is one of the papers that has made a leap in "quality as paper" due to the improvement of inkjet printing technology.

The ability to reproduce high-definition, high-quality digital images on a par with conventional silver-halide photographs prompted the photography and art industries to consider the possibilities.

The major feature of fine art paper is that it has both "storability" and "texture" .

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

Cotton-based fine art paper contains lignin (a component that makes up 20 to 30% of wood). This is due to the chemical reaction between ultraviolet rays and lignin), so it can be stored for a long time.

There are many fine art paper suppliers such as Hahnemuhle (Germany), PICTORICO (Japan), Canson (France), etc., and the types of paper are wide.

As for future possibilities, the fine art papers that have evolved in Europe are expected to evolve further, and at the same time, new fine art papers may be born in Asia.

It is believed that fine art paper will not only be used by people in the art industry, but will also spread to individual creators. Along with that, there is a high possibility that the types of paper itself will increase and become more subdivided.

<Handling paper>

• [Hahnemuhle] FineArt Pearl <to product page>
• [Hahnemuhle] Photo Rag <to product page>

[Hahnemuhle] Would you like to try printing FineArt Pearl?

Just like when you buy a car, you should test drive it once. Before printing, we would like you to use the free trial printing and experience the paper with your own eyes .

Glossy paper, matte paper, fine art paper, Japanese paper, and many other types of paper have different textures, textures, colors, and so on.

Even if you try to choose the best one from many papers, I think it will be difficult all of a sudden. A lot of people don't know which one to choose.

You can use your own photo data for trial printing.

We have prepared a trial set according to your preference, so please take advantage of it!