Today on the blog we're offering a peek behind the scenes into some of the thing we get up to in the ArtStar HQ on a daily basis; and yes, we spend a lot of time looking at paper.
Why is paper so important? High-quality fine art paper is absolutely essential to producing a beautiful print that will endure on your walls for year to come and bad paper will be the downfall of any image, no matter how beautiful.
Here Grace is examining paper types and finishes on a new batch of test prints. What should you look for when buying a print? The most important things to consider are paper weight (what is the ply of the paper?), the smoothness of the fibers (how are they woven together?) and the finish. The finish refers to the finished surface of the paper. As a general rule photographs reproduce best on paper with a glossy finish and works on paper (drawings, paintings, etchings etc.) will reproduce best on matte paper. You will want a weight that is fairly heavy to prevent wrinkling when you frame your piece and, especially for photography, a very smooth, dense fiber. ArtStar prints exclusively on museum quality cotton rag paper with archival Epson inkjet pigments and we spend a lot of time choosing which brand of paper has the best color saturation and the most refined detail for our prints. For our money, as we determined in photo above, Hahnemuhlepaper is still the best. We've always used this paper and while it costs a little extra, the results are unparalleled. Do you have more questions about print types and quality? Email us at hello@artstar.com and we're happy to answer your questions! Plus read more about how ArtStar prints are printed, framed and packaged.
