Color Paper Surfaces

[L Gebhardt]

I have never loved the Glossy Kodak or Fuji RA4 papers, but I have liked them better than the Luster. I was looking to order some new paper and I noticed Fuji makes a matte paper which I have never noticed before. Before I order a box can anyone give me a description of the paper surface?

Ideally I am looking for an air dried fiber paper look. Does any color paper come close to this? Sadly I can get a similar look with the newer inkjet papers, but I don't want to go there. But for a lot of my color work the Glossy and Luster papers just don't look or feel very good.

Anyone have a scrap sheet or part of a work print they could throw in the mail?

 

[greenrhino]

Fuji makes many surfaces for both the professional market and the minilab market. If you are using cut sheet paper you are now limited to glossy, lustre and matte. I make prints for artists and photographers and have never used or been asked to use the "lustre" surface. I'd say the matte surface is slightly less pebbled in texture than the lustre. They also make a new product called Deep Matte that is very silky, very matte and very smooth. That is only available as roll paper though.

 

[L Gebhardt]

Thanks. Would you say the matte looks like plastic, like the luster? The Deep Matte sounds like it's worth looking at, except for the roll paper part of it.

 

[greenrhino]

Yes, to me it all looks like plastic when compared to either fiber based silver or any rag based archival pigment.