Epson Hot Press Natural

I've mentioned here that I rarely print on mat (or "matte", if you insist) papers. It's not that I don't like mat papers; it's more that I really love some of the baryta and other soft-gloss papers and prefer the higher D-max typically found with gloss papers and MK ink. I like fairly contrasty images, and have been very happy with defunct Ilford's GGFS and now with Canson's Infinity Baryta Photographique. And a few others of a similar ilk.

Most of my printing on mat paper has been for clients who have that preference. I recently wrapped up a printing job on mat paper, which required the swap from PK to MK. It had been a little over a week since I'd last used the 7900. I did the ink swap, and the machine then auto-cleaned as usual when I attempted to print the nozzle check. After that cleaning the nozzle check was fine, as were the client's prints.

A few days later I printed my B&W photo on Epson's Hot Press Natural (HPN). This is a warm-toned (no OBA), very stiff paper. It comes off a 24-inch roll with a very strong curl. It's like dealing with a roll of aluminum flashing, so stiff it's almost dangerous, and a challenge to flatten.

I made the photo (above), of a abandoned and crumbling outhouse in the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge here in northwest Montana, on a beautiful, calm March morning, just as the sun appeared over the Mission Mountain range east of the NWR. I love these old derelicts, with their deep wood grain and patina, cracked and missing boards, exposed nails and other hardware. The strong side-lighting helps bring out that detail.

The print is lovely. Deep, rich blacks, excellent detail, and the smooth, buttery look of HPN. Sharpening these kinds of images can be a challenge, but is worth the effort to get perfect.

A crop at 100% ("actual pixels" in Photoshop-speak) showing some of the detail in the old shack.

I used Epson's "canned" profile for HPN. While I think the print is excellent, it's not a great match to the monitor (NEC's MultiSync PA272W, calibrated with NEC's SpectraView II software and the NEC-branded colorimeter). The print is warmer than the soft-proofed version on the monitor. My color printing work has been a spot-on match to the monitor, so I'm assuming the canned profile isn't Epson's best work. I've posted a query to friend Dean, who also sometimes uses HPN with his 7900, and who also has a calibrated NEC monitor. I'll post his comments when I receive them.

  --Jay