I.)   OUTLOOK

How to get Fine Art Black & White Prints in highest quality without color shifts (metermerism) but with lucious blacks and defined whites ??
In this article I will not go into the art of creating a black and white image using a digital color (RGB) file. This might come later. So I assume that the picture to be printed is there.

II.)  What do we need ?

* A highresolution inkjet printer with pigmented inks for a long life of the print (EPSON Stylus Photo 2100 e.g.)

* Fine art archival paper like Hahnemuehle Photo Rag, Monochrom Arles, etc.

* The original printer driver installed.

* RIP (Raster Image Processor) software (QuadTone RIP e.g.)

* ICC-profiles for paper-ink combinations (they can be downloaded from most manufacturars websites or individually ordered).

* Last but not least, I strongly recommend to go thru the monitor calibration article in case not already done.

III.) How to get started ?

The photograph must be saved as a .tiff file (no channels). All adjustements like level corrections, contrast, saturation and grey balance should be optimised using software like Photoshop. To avoid drown blacks and extreme whites, tonal values should be between (20/20/20) 3% K and (247/247/247) 93% K. The appropriate ICC-profile should be linked to the file (in Photoshop : picture -> modus -> profile).

Now, the file is ready to be printed. Instead of using the print function of Photoshop, the file is loaded using the RIP software. I strongly recommend QuadTone RIP from Roy Harrington. This shareware program and instructions on the installation can be found on his website. Possible toneing of the print is managed using different curves like cool, neutral, warm, sepia etc.

I want to stress that even the standard print function via Photoshop allows quite nice prints, as long as both the .ICC profile for the monitor and the one for the paper-ink combination used are active.

I guarantee surprised faces, when the first test prints come out of the "new" printer, which is still using the original inks.

Of course a certain amount of trail and error is neccessary to achive the best possible results - like in old times when Fine Art Printers spent hours and hours in the (classical) darkroom playing with lots of stinky chemistry.

IV.)  Custom .ICC profiles

If you want to go one step further, I recommend to use an .ICC printer profile that was created especially for the paper-ink combination used. Each type of paper is absorbing the ink applied in a different way. Depending on the coating and manufacturing process of the paper used, colors look differently later on the print.
For the "I do everything myself guy" there is only one way: Buying a spectrophotometer. This can be rather costly. But there is a cheaper solution: There are lots of services out there offering a so called "custom profiling". One has to print a dedicated test chart at home using exactly the paper and the ink that should be used later. This original print is sent to the service center. These guys are using professional equipment to measure the color fields on the test chart. From this data the .ICC profile is created and shipped on a CD or via e-mail.
I am personally using three different types of paper on one printer. Like this I had three .ICC profiles created. Thanks to the monitor .ICC profile and the paper-ink .ICC profile one can really talk about WYSIWYG (=What you see is what you get). Fine tuning on the monitor at home and then really holding the wanted result in hands is easy and straight forward and worth the small investment. No more "test printing to get the colors right".

V.)   Which paper to use ?

One word of warning in the beginning: If you are looking for a complete market overview I have to disappoint you twofold: I will only talk about three different papers. Second, I am more than sure you will not find this complete list. But don't worry - You don't need it ! And I will explain why.

The first question everybody should ask himself is what do I want to do with the print ? Is it supposed to be put in a photo album ? Is it for sale to a client ? Or to be hanging in a gallery ? Depending on the personal taste the choice will be a glossy (photo album), semi-gloss or matte paper (Fine Art prints). In this case three papers according to your personal taste will do the job.

I am personally using the following three kinds of paper for the black & white enlargements I do myself:

EPSON Heavy Matte - A medium weight (167 g/qm) matte paper in all standard sizes from A4 over A3+ to roll paper. I use this for " having a first idea" prints.

Monochrom MonoPrint Arles - A more heavy (196 g/qm) Fine Art Matte hand-made paper (100% cotton) in A4, A3 and as roll paper. I use this bright white paper with a smooth surface and a very neutral grey reproduction for gallery prints or custom prints for clients. The ink is absorbed quickly and the paper dries fast. I especially like the very dark blacks and the distinct contrast. Prints look best when not framed as any kind of glass removes the look'n'feel of this wonderful paper.

Ilford Smooth Pearl - A heavy (290 g/qm) semi gloss paper with the finish of a classic Baryt print. I especially like the fact that the color rendering (no matter if very dark or very light tones) is very uniform and that no "spots" reflecting the light differently appear. My choice for all prints that should not be matte.

Of course there are many, many more which will result in very similar, the same or maybe even better results. But unless you have the time to test all the new papers, get the .ICC profiles for them (!!) or you are just a "test fanatic" I would strongly recommend to limit yourself and get the maximum quality out of the material you know and use on a regular basis. Just my two cents.