Methodology
Paper Lab is an editorial rating, not a laboratory measurement. Here is exactly how the numbers were arrived at and how they are calculated.
Paper Lab: what is rated
We rate six types of media, not specific products. Each type was given five values on a scale from 0 to 10:
- Texture: 0 = smooth, 10 = pronounced texture.
- Gloss: 0 = deep matt, 10 = high gloss.
- Black depth (Dmax): 0 = soft, greyish black, 10 = deep black.
- Colour saturation: 0 = muted colours, 10 = very saturated colours.
- Archival suitability: 0 = short-term use, 10 = long-term keeping.
Where the values come from
The values were set by OFOTO from the generally known properties of media types and from the information manufacturers publish for specific papers (surface, fibre, optical brightener content, declared permanence). They are not based on our own measurements. They are relative estimates: they say that baryta paper has a deeper black than matt cotton paper, not exactly by how much.
| Type | Texture | Gloss | Black depth (Dmax) | Colour saturation | Archival suitability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton matt (cotton rag) | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Cotton textured | 9 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Baryta (fibre-based) | 3 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| RC gloss | 0 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| RC lustre / pearl | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Canvas | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
The reasoning behind each value (in Paper Lab, screen readers announce it for every column):
Cotton matt (cotton rag)
- Texture 3: A fine felt texture that shows in raking light but does not get in the way of the image.
- Gloss 1: A matt coating with no reflections; displays well behind glass too.
- Black depth (Dmax) 5: A matt inkjet coating reaches a lower black density than glossy surfaces.
- Colour saturation 5: Colours look softer and more drawn, with less “glow”.
- Archival suitability 9: An acid-free, lignin-free cotton base; manufacturers commonly describe it as museum grade.
Cotton textured
- Texture 9: The texture becomes part of the image and can mask fine detail.
- Gloss 1: Deep matt, almost free of reflections.
- Black depth (Dmax) 5: The same limitation as any matt coating.
- Colour saturation 5: More muted colours, suited to a painterly look.
- Archival suitability 9: The same bases as smooth Fine Art papers.
Baryta (fibre-based)
- Texture 3: The fine texture of the fibre base shows through the glossy coating.
- Gloss 7: Gloss without the “plastic” look of RC papers.
- Black depth (Dmax) 9: The glossy coating allows a very deep black, which is why baryta is popular for black-and-white photography.
- Colour saturation 8: The wide colour range of glossy surfaces.
- Archival suitability 8: An acid-free fibre base; the amount of optical brighteners varies from product to product.
RC gloss
- Texture 0: No texture; mirror-smooth.
- Gloss 10: The highest gloss; produces strong reflections under lights.
- Black depth (Dmax) 9: The gloss allows a deep black.
- Colour saturation 9: The most saturated colours of all the types.
- Archival suitability 5: A polyethylene layer and usually optical brighteners; fine for everyday use, but fibre papers are better for a long-term archive.
RC lustre / pearl
- Texture 2: A fine “orange peel” texture that breaks up reflections.
- Gloss 6: Medium gloss, fewer reflections than high gloss.
- Black depth (Dmax) 8: Almost as deep a black as gloss.
- Colour saturation 8: Saturated colours, only slightly less than high gloss.
- Archival suitability 5: The same reservations as RC gloss.
Canvas
- Texture 8: The weave is clearly visible; at large sizes it reads like a painting.
- Gloss 3: Mostly matt or satin; varnish adds gloss.
- Black depth (Dmax) 5: Matt canvases have a softer black.
- Colour saturation 6: Good saturation, especially on satin and gloss canvases.
- Archival suitability 6: Depends on the material, varnish and stretching; canvas is usually shown without glass, so it is more exposed to dust and light.
Fit for purpose
For each purpose (portrait, landscape, black and white, Fine Art, wedding, archive) the editors set an ideal for texture and gloss and weights for all five properties. The calculation:
- For texture and gloss, closeness to the ideal is calculated: 10 − |value − ideal|.
- For black depth, saturation and archival suitability, the value is taken as it is (more is better).
- The fit is the weighted average of these five numbers, rounded to one decimal place.
| Purpose | Ideal texture | Ideal gloss | Weight: Texture | Weight: Gloss | Weight: Black depth (Dmax) | Weight: Colour saturation | Weight: Archival suitability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PORTRAIT | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| LANDSCAPE | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| BLACK & WHITE | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| FINE ART | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| WEDDING | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| ARCHIVE | 2 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
The resulting fit scores, as Paper Lab shows them:
| Type | PORTRAIT | LANDSCAPE | BLACK & WHITE | FINE ART | WEDDING | ARCHIVE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton matt (cotton rag) | 6.8 | 6 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.9 |
| Cotton textured | 5.8 | 5.3 | 6 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 7.6 |
| Baryta (fibre-based) | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 7 | 8.4 | 8.1 |
| RC gloss | 7.2 | 8 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 6.1 |
| RC lustre / pearl | 7.7 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 5.9 | 7 | 6.2 |
| Canvas | 6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 6 | 6 |
Print size calculator
Size = pixels ÷ PPI × 2.54 cm. The IDEAL / GOOD / VIEW FROM A DISTANCE rating is based on the eye’s approximate resolving power of about one arcminute: pixels merge from a distance of roughly 8733 ÷ PPI cm. The 30 cm and 45 cm thresholds are an editorial choice and a rule of thumb, not a standard.
Size on the wall and Frame Lab
The furniture dimensions are typical reference values given with the tool, not the dimensions of particular products. The band of “about two thirds of the furniture width” and the 20 cm gap above the furniture are conventions from interior design. Frame Lab shows colours and surfaces only approximately.
Colour check
The simulation exaggerates shifts in brightness, contrast and colour so that the effect of each cause is clearly visible. It is not a colorimetrically accurate soft proof.
Changes to the methodology
If we change the values or weights, we will note it on this page with the date. First version: October 2026.