Back in the first decade of the current century, I would have said that I was an experienced maker of cyanotypes, but life intervened and I stopped. A couple of months ago, I began making cyanotypes again after a hiatus of about twelve years.
I had previously used two watercolor papers for most of my cyanotypes: Fabrianio Studio, a reasonably priced beginner-grade, 25% cotton paper and Arches Aquarelle, a more expensive, professional-grade, 100% cotton paper. Both are fairly heavy 300 gsm papers. I used both the hot pressed (smooth) and cold pressed (textured) versions of these papers.
As I started making cyanotypes again, I decided that I wanted to “see what was out there” in terms of paper that would work with cyanotype. I had a supply of a small number of traditional “art” (i.e. watercolor and print-making) papers that I use to make inkjet prints of my photographs on. I started my explorations with these but I soon ordered a number of other papers to try out with cyanotypes.
All of the papers I used come from either the standard art supply houses (mainly Dick Blick or Jerry’s Artarama) or from a small specialist company Acuity Papers. I have no connection to any of these companies, other than as a satisfied customer.
Although I sometimes buy small sheets of paper in pads, this is expensive and the selection of papers is limited. Thus, I prefer to purchase paper in large sheets and to cut it to size. The “standard” (if there is such a thing; there is much variability) for large sheets is 22x30 inches. I begin the cutting down process with a sharp knife, straight edge and a cutting mat. I often finish the process using an 18 inch rotary paper trimmer.
Generally, I print on 5x7 inch paper (4x5 inch or 4.5 inch square images), 8x10 inch paper (7x9 inch or 6.5 inch square images), 9x12 inch paper (8x10 inch images) or 11x14 inch paper (9x9 inch square images). Sometimes I cut paper to “odd” sizes if it simplifies cutting and minimizes waste, but these odd sizes are usually close to the standard sizes.
I make cyanotypes using the traditional A+B formula and a homemade UV-LED exposure unit. I generally coat paper edge-to-edge using a Hake brush and I develop my cyanotypes in 25% (v/v) vinegar (i.e. 250 mL white vinegar + 750 mL water).
I will not attempt to describe how cyanotypes look on each paper. Rather, I will simply list the papers I have used, their surface “feel” (smooth, or textured) and their weights. Suffice to say that there are subtle differences between papers in both the exposure needed and in the final hue of the print. All of the papers I list below work well for traditional cyanotype in my hands without any pretreatment.
The large majority of these papers are 100% cotton. A few are made of other fibers. The latter will be noted explicitly.
Lastly, many papers come in various shades of white which are impossible to describe in writing. Thus I will not try! Some of these papers are quite bright white and some are quite warm. You’ll have to explore this aspect yourself. A few come in colors other than white. I have not (yet!) tried any of these.
Paper / Weight (gsm) / Notes
=============================
Arches Aquarelle (HP) / 300 / smooth
Fabriano Studio (CP) / 300 / moderate texture
Stonehenge Light / 135 / smooth
Stonehenge / 250 / smooth; “white” and “warm” (preferred) version
Rives BFK / 280 / smooth
Rives Heavyweight / 175 / smooth
Hahnemule Biblio / 150 / subtle texture; 100% alpha-cellulose
Fabriano Unica / 250 / 50% cotton
Fabriano Aristico (HP) / 200 / smooth
Awagami Shiramine Select / 110 / smooth/textured (2-sided); 30% kozo, 15% hemp, 55% alpha-cellulose
Awagami Bamboo Select / 170 / subtle texture; 70% bamboo
Legion Somerset / 250 / smooth
Fabriano Tiepolo / 290 / smooth; also comes in a 130 gsm version
Arches Johannot / 240 / 75% cotton, 25% esparto; subtle texture
In addition to the above “experimental” papers, I also tried the following four papers that are designed specifically for alt processes:
Arches Platine /145 / smooth
Crane’s Cover / 240 / smooth
Hahnemule Platinum Rag / 300 / smooth
Bergger COT320 / 320 / smooth
Additionally, there were two papers I tried that were unsuitable for cyanotype. These were Arches 88 and Lokta (a paper made in Nepal). Neither of these papers is sized and thus soak up liquid like the proverbial sponge thus making them unsuitable. Sizing these papers with gelatin or PVA might make them suitable but I have not tried this.
In summary, I present this information as a starting point. There are many, many more papers available to try and what works for me might not work for you. One needs to experiment and make choices to suit your own needs and vision.
I usually try to follow the advice I give beginners: stick with a few papers and “learn your materials”. That said, here is where I stand today (it will change in the future) vis-à-vis the choice of papers for cyanotype.
My current “go to” every day papers are Stonehenge Light, for a smooth, lightweight, downright inexpensive paper and Stonehenge Warm for a smooth, heavier but still moderately priced paper. Both of these papers are available in pads if one does not want to cut down large sheets. Using padded Stonehenge paper roughly doubles its cost compared to buying and cutting down large sheets. The pads are somewhat more readily available than large sheets.
If I want a paper with some texture for every day prints, I’ll use Hahnemule Biblio (lightweight and inexpensive) or Arches Johannot (heavier and fairly expensive). The texture of these papers is quite different from the texture of the typical cold press watercolor paper which is probably why I like them.
For cost-is-no-object luxury prints my choices are Hahnemule Platinium Rag (or Bergger COT 320; these are essentially the same in my view) for a smooth paper or Awagami Bamboo for a textured paper. These papers are roughly five times the cost of the Stonehenge Warm.
In situations where low cost is paramount (as when I volunteer to do sunprints with children), I would use Strathmore 400 Drawing paper or possibly Fabriano Unica for something nicer (heavier and more archival). The Strathmore is not listed above because I do not consider it a “fine art” paper but it is dirt cheap, works well for cyanotype and is easily available in pads. The Unica is about twice the cost of the Strathmore (and not as readily available and needs to be cut down) but still very reasonable.
I had previously used two watercolor papers for most of my cyanotypes: Fabrianio Studio, a reasonably priced beginner-grade, 25% cotton paper and Arches Aquarelle, a more expensive, professional-grade, 100% cotton paper. Both are fairly heavy 300 gsm papers. I used both the hot pressed (smooth) and cold pressed (textured) versions of these papers.
As I started making cyanotypes again, I decided that I wanted to “see what was out there” in terms of paper that would work with cyanotype. I had a supply of a small number of traditional “art” (i.e. watercolor and print-making) papers that I use to make inkjet prints of my photographs on. I started my explorations with these but I soon ordered a number of other papers to try out with cyanotypes.
All of the papers I used come from either the standard art supply houses (mainly Dick Blick or Jerry’s Artarama) or from a small specialist company Acuity Papers. I have no connection to any of these companies, other than as a satisfied customer.
Although I sometimes buy small sheets of paper in pads, this is expensive and the selection of papers is limited. Thus, I prefer to purchase paper in large sheets and to cut it to size. The “standard” (if there is such a thing; there is much variability) for large sheets is 22x30 inches. I begin the cutting down process with a sharp knife, straight edge and a cutting mat. I often finish the process using an 18 inch rotary paper trimmer.
Generally, I print on 5x7 inch paper (4x5 inch or 4.5 inch square images), 8x10 inch paper (7x9 inch or 6.5 inch square images), 9x12 inch paper (8x10 inch images) or 11x14 inch paper (9x9 inch square images). Sometimes I cut paper to “odd” sizes if it simplifies cutting and minimizes waste, but these odd sizes are usually close to the standard sizes.
I make cyanotypes using the traditional A+B formula and a homemade UV-LED exposure unit. I generally coat paper edge-to-edge using a Hake brush and I develop my cyanotypes in 25% (v/v) vinegar (i.e. 250 mL white vinegar + 750 mL water).
I will not attempt to describe how cyanotypes look on each paper. Rather, I will simply list the papers I have used, their surface “feel” (smooth, or textured) and their weights. Suffice to say that there are subtle differences between papers in both the exposure needed and in the final hue of the print. All of the papers I list below work well for traditional cyanotype in my hands without any pretreatment.
The large majority of these papers are 100% cotton. A few are made of other fibers. The latter will be noted explicitly.
Lastly, many papers come in various shades of white which are impossible to describe in writing. Thus I will not try! Some of these papers are quite bright white and some are quite warm. You’ll have to explore this aspect yourself. A few come in colors other than white. I have not (yet!) tried any of these.
Paper / Weight (gsm) / Notes
=============================
Arches Aquarelle (HP) / 300 / smooth
Fabriano Studio (CP) / 300 / moderate texture
Stonehenge Light / 135 / smooth
Stonehenge / 250 / smooth; “white” and “warm” (preferred) version
Rives BFK / 280 / smooth
Rives Heavyweight / 175 / smooth
Hahnemule Biblio / 150 / subtle texture; 100% alpha-cellulose
Fabriano Unica / 250 / 50% cotton
Fabriano Aristico (HP) / 200 / smooth
Awagami Shiramine Select / 110 / smooth/textured (2-sided); 30% kozo, 15% hemp, 55% alpha-cellulose
Awagami Bamboo Select / 170 / subtle texture; 70% bamboo
Legion Somerset / 250 / smooth
Fabriano Tiepolo / 290 / smooth; also comes in a 130 gsm version
Arches Johannot / 240 / 75% cotton, 25% esparto; subtle texture
In addition to the above “experimental” papers, I also tried the following four papers that are designed specifically for alt processes:
Arches Platine /145 / smooth
Crane’s Cover / 240 / smooth
Hahnemule Platinum Rag / 300 / smooth
Bergger COT320 / 320 / smooth
Additionally, there were two papers I tried that were unsuitable for cyanotype. These were Arches 88 and Lokta (a paper made in Nepal). Neither of these papers is sized and thus soak up liquid like the proverbial sponge thus making them unsuitable. Sizing these papers with gelatin or PVA might make them suitable but I have not tried this.
In summary, I present this information as a starting point. There are many, many more papers available to try and what works for me might not work for you. One needs to experiment and make choices to suit your own needs and vision.
I usually try to follow the advice I give beginners: stick with a few papers and “learn your materials”. That said, here is where I stand today (it will change in the future) vis-à-vis the choice of papers for cyanotype.
My current “go to” every day papers are Stonehenge Light, for a smooth, lightweight, downright inexpensive paper and Stonehenge Warm for a smooth, heavier but still moderately priced paper. Both of these papers are available in pads if one does not want to cut down large sheets. Using padded Stonehenge paper roughly doubles its cost compared to buying and cutting down large sheets. The pads are somewhat more readily available than large sheets.
If I want a paper with some texture for every day prints, I’ll use Hahnemule Biblio (lightweight and inexpensive) or Arches Johannot (heavier and fairly expensive). The texture of these papers is quite different from the texture of the typical cold press watercolor paper which is probably why I like them.
For cost-is-no-object luxury prints my choices are Hahnemule Platinium Rag (or Bergger COT 320; these are essentially the same in my view) for a smooth paper or Awagami Bamboo for a textured paper. These papers are roughly five times the cost of the Stonehenge Warm.
In situations where low cost is paramount (as when I volunteer to do sunprints with children), I would use Strathmore 400 Drawing paper or possibly Fabriano Unica for something nicer (heavier and more archival). The Strathmore is not listed above because I do not consider it a “fine art” paper but it is dirt cheap, works well for cyanotype and is easily available in pads. The Unica is about twice the cost of the Strathmore (and not as readily available and needs to be cut down) but still very reasonable.
