About the paper

The paper is quite stiff, and at 390 micron thickness, feels thicker than many normal photo papers.

I had a 44" roll of the paper to test.

I need to produce a slightly smaller, much more archival version of the big Leicester print, and this cotton based paper, with no optical brighteners might be the one for the job?

This from Innova:

Key features are listed as:

100% Cotton Fourdrinier inkjet art paper
Natural White
Ultra smooth gloss surface
Crystal layer technology – the crystal layer is unique to FibaPrint and creates a barrier layer between the fibre base and the microporous glossy coating. This quality allows the paper to retain excellent, sharp detail, enhanced tonal range and a Dmax rating up to 2.7.
Fibre based photo quality
Archival – Acid and lignin free
Pigment and dye ink compatible

Specifications

It's available in a variety of sizes:

In the US, I note that this paper is also listed as being available in 36" x 48" sheets (B&H)

I decided to test it on the Canon iPF8300 for both colour and black and white performance.

ICC profiles and media settings

For our Canon iPF8300 printer, I like to start by making a custom media setting.

These are based on what I would have picked for a media setting for printing (Premium SemiGloss 280), but allow for fine tuning print settings (minimising micro-banding for example) and control over B&W print mode settings.

If I was using an Epson printer, I'd probably pick 'Premium Lustre' or similar.

A 2900+ patch target is printed to A3+ size, to make an ICC profile for the paper.

I also print out some of the grey ramps mentioned in my B&W print linearisation article, these generate a 'correction' profile that I'll use with B&W printing with the printer's built in B&W mode.

I note from the testing, a Dmax of just over 2.7 - actually matching the number in the Innova specs (not that I'm ever sceptical about advertised numbers ;-)

FYI: I've set up a LinkedIn group (~4700 members) for people interested in all aspects of Digital Black and White photography: Digital Black and White

To use the B&W correction profile in Photoshop, I take a black and white image and convert it from my working grey Gamma 2.2 working space to Adobe98.

Adobe98 is also a gamma 2.2 space, there is no visible change to the image (R=G=B)

Next I Convert it to the QTR correction profile I've made when I was testing this paper for the article above, then I Assign Adobe98 back to it. The image now looks a bit lighter, since this particular paper on my iPF8300 is printing a bit too dark and the profile corrects for this by lightening it (and opening up the deep shadows a bit).

The example below shows an image as I'd like it to look.

Move your mouse over it, to see the 'corrected' version sent to the printer (which should come out looking the way I want it to).

Print Quality

The results from test prints with a good colour and B&W test images are impressive. It's like using one of the cotton rag papers I like for some of my monochrome work (IFA 11), but with the added depth and punch I normally associate with 'Baryta style' papers.

We have a number of downloadable test images available for colour and monochrome. I always find it best to evaluate a new medium with a known image -before- working with your own images.

The paper is quite stiff, so if you are using roll format (as I was here) remember to unload the roll if you are not using it for a while. I went away for a few days and forgot that it was in the printer - the resultant 'bend' in the paper caused a minor head strike when I carried on my testing.

When printed in our Canon iPF8300, the ink coverage is very even, with relatively low gloss differential - i.e. it doesn't look like the ink is obviously sitting on the surface, as you can sometimes get with glossy papers and pigment inks.

The view below, of the roll of paper in the printer, shows a comparison to a rather bright white photo paper, with quite a bit of optical brightener in it. The lighting is diffuse daylight, through a curtain on a bright cloudy day. It shows one reason you should be careful if mixing paper types in a series of prints.

Move your mouse over the image to see a detailed crop showing the surface texture of the IFA-45 - note that without the bright blue/white paper nearby, it looks nowhere near as warm.

There are lots of things about this paper that just work for me - the feel, the surface, the colour. Every so often I get to test a paper that make me stop and think about how it will benefit my work. This is one I'll be doing many more experiments with, particularly monochrome.

The paper also looks to have good archival properties, and I'm looking at using it to produce a reduced size ('only' 37 feet long) version of the big canvas print of Leicester City centre, for more permanent display (article about the making of the 14 metre Leicester print).

Summary

FibaPrint Warm Cotton Gloss 335gsm IFA-45 is a heavy cotton rag paper, with a semi-gloss coating.

It's OBA free and the warm base paper comes through making for a distinct 'cream' colour.

Supplied by Innova in a range of sizes - more info

The paper is available from Innova distributors worldwide, including FineArtFOTO in the UK.

Some other related info on our site

Innova Smooth Cotton Natural/High White paper review. Two versions of Innova's cotton based art papers. IFA-11 and IFA-14. Tested on the HP Z3200 and Epson 9600.
Do your prints have 'Depth' ? Some of the difficulties in reviewing and describing print quality.
Innova soft textured IFA-12
Innova FibaPrint papers - heavy fibre based papers, a similar feel to traditional B/W photo prints
All our paper reviews
Black and white test image - a very harsh (but fair) test
Colour management links on this site
Media settings and profiling for third party inks
After converting an Epson Stylus COLOR 1160 to third party inks. Keith describes the profiling of a this set-up with a third party glossy paper, and shows how that often neglected aspect of profiling -driver media settings- can make all the difference between a so-so print and one that he would be happy to send out as a sample to his commercial clients.
Why don't my prints match my screen?
A short article showing why there is more to getting your prints to match your screen, than just calibrating your monitor. It's the vital first step, but you do need to consider some other factors for best results.

The views in this article represent those of Keith Cooper.
Keith is always happy to discuss matters raised in his articles. You can Email Us
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