OFOTO A guide to photographic printing
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Paper Lab

Choose what you need the paper for. Paper Lab ranks six media types by how well they suit that purpose, and shows why.

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Paper LabOFOTO / PAPER LAB — 210 × 297 MM — 300 PPI — 6 MEDIA TYPES
What do you need the paper for?

Skin tones, smooth gradations, no distracting reflections.

  1. 1.

    Baryta (fibre-based)

    cotton or α-cellulose with a barium sulphate layer
    gloss to satin, fine texture

    8.5fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    3
    Gloss
    7
    Black depth (Dmax)
    9
    Colour saturation
    8
    Archival suitability
    8
  2. 2.

    RC lustre / pearl

    paper sealed in polyethylene (resin-coated)
    semi-matt, fine pearl texture

    7.7fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    2
    Gloss
    6
    Black depth (Dmax)
    8
    Colour saturation
    8
    Archival suitability
    5
  3. 3.

    RC gloss

    paper sealed in polyethylene (resin-coated)
    high gloss, smooth

    7.2fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    0
    Gloss
    10
    Black depth (Dmax)
    9
    Colour saturation
    9
    Archival suitability
    5
  4. 4.

    Cotton matt (cotton rag)

    100% cotton (rag)
    matt surface, fine felt texture

    6.8fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    3
    Gloss
    1
    Black depth (Dmax)
    5
    Colour saturation
    5
    Archival suitability
    9
  5. 5.

    Canvas

    cotton, poly-cotton or polyester
    woven texture; matt, satin or gloss coating

    6.0fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    8
    Gloss
    3
    Black depth (Dmax)
    5
    Colour saturation
    6
    Archival suitability
    6
  6. 6.

    Cotton textured

    100% cotton or α-cellulose
    matt surface, pronounced texture (watercolour, etching)

    5.8fit for purpose / 10

    Texture
    9
    Gloss
    1
    Black depth (Dmax)
    5
    Colour saturation
    5
    Archival suitability
    9

Editorial rating. The 0–10 numbers are the OFOTO editorial team’s estimate for a type of media, not a measurement of a specific product. Individual papers within a type differ. The Methodology page explains how the ratings were set and how the fit for purpose is calculated.

Types, not brands

Paper Lab compares types of media. Individual papers within a type differ: a baryta paper on an OBA-free cotton base looks different from a bright white baryta paper on α-cellulose. Specific products, with the manufacturers’ figures, are in the guide to Fine Art papers and on the Hahnemühle and FOMEI pages.

How to read the numbers

Each property has a value from 0 to 10. For texture and gloss a high number does not mean “better”, just “more”. The fit for purpose compares texture and gloss with the ideal for that purpose, then adds black depth, saturation and archival suitability with weights that reflect the purpose. The whole method and all the weights are on the Methodology page.