Preparing for the Norton Commons show next month and fine tuning all of the astronomical fine art prints. I have said it too many times, but an image that looks fine on the monitor is often times not nearly ready for fine art printing. Over the past few days I have been optimizing my astrophotography prints and today I had an opportunity to compare two different papers.
Now earlier in the week I had an opportunity to compare my two favorite papers, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (matte paper) to Harman Fiber Gloss (semi-glossy.) To my surprise I preferred the matte paper to the glossy. Today I just received a new semi-glossy paper, Canson Baryta. Just finished the new comparison and again, I prefer the matte paper for my current asto prints. The Canson looks like a gorgeous paper and will probably become my preferred paper for landscape prints. But for astrophotography prints right now, the matte paper provides a more comfortable look into the scene and presents the image in the best possible way.
My first thought at the beginning of the week was that the semi-glossy paper would be the preferred for the astronomical subjects. But the darks in the matte paper and the subdued contrast and highlights really deepen the visual experience of each astronomical print.
So after numerous hours of printing and comparing I am very confident in printing my next round of astronomical prints with the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag matte paper. It really looks wonderful!