I've often been advised not to put all my eggs in one basket, which led me to explore another fine art paper option from Moab Paper. I reached this decision after searching for papers similar to my usual choice,
Read MoreThe two contenders for the paper I planned to use were both from a Hahnemühle sample pack I purchased from B&H Photo a few months earlier. While I won’t claim to know everything about fine art papers, I want to express how excited I was with the final results I achieved
Read MoreRecently, my wife stumbled upon a cherished memory on her Facebook account-an image I had tagged her in. It was a photo I had taken at Babcock State Park, capturing the old grist mill. She expressed a desire to have a physical print of it for our home. This sparked a wave of nostalgia as I set out to find the image files from that memorable day, October 13, 2010.
Read MoreWe have loaded new inks into our Canon Pro-1100 and replaced the maintenance cartridge. Now it's time to do some test prints.
First, I prepared the 2 images for print. These photos were taken with the LG G5 for the flower and the iPhone XS Max for the town image between 2016 and 2020. Their file sizes were between 1.4 and 2 megabytes. So to rid the images of any pixelation I used Topaz Gigapixel to enhance them for enlargements, which increased their sizes to about 30 and 45 megabytes. After that, I edited the images in Adobe Lightroom and Capture One.
I chose to test Hahnemühle fine art papers, focusing on their textured and Baryta stock. I picked Hahnemühle because it is one of the oldest paper companies, and its reputation among my peers influenced my decision. I bought four sample packs, each containing two sheets of each paper type. So far, I have tried three of the papers, and I'm impressed with the results. The first prints featured a flower on a steel table. I printed a large 17x22 image on Canon Pro Luster paper as my reference. The two 8.5x11 images were printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta gsm 300 with a satin finish. This paper is thicker than I am used to; it feels like cardstock. It held together well, especially in the blacks and shadows.
Next, I decided to try the Hahnemühle 13x19 papers, specifically choosing the matte fine art/textured option. The decision wasn’t straightforward, as each paper had a watercolor surface made of 100% cotton, which produced similar whiteness in the images, ranging from 87% to 88.5%. The difference was not significant. I narrowed my choices down to the William Turner and the Museum Etching paper, ultimately selecting the Museum Etching paper for this round. I have to admit that when I first held my image printed on this paper, I felt somewhat withdrawn. The colors appeared muted, and the blacks seemed muddy. I had to come to terms with the fact that this was my first experience seeing my work on a paper that wasn’t a luster finish, and I am still learning how to print my images at home. After a couple of days of observing my image from a distance and up close, using my loupe to carefully examine different parts, I began to appreciate what this paper had to offer. In the end, it won me over.
Now that I had tested the Hahnemühle Baryta and the Museum Etching paper, it was time to test one that was close to the Canon Pro Luster paper, but not a luster paper, if that even makes sense. I printed my target image on the Canon paper, as I did with the flower image. Then I looked at what the next sample pack had to offer; there were 2 types of the matte fiber papers, a glossy, a luster, and lastly a pearl surface. I went with the Hahnemühle Pearl, and let me say, it knocked me out. I found something special in this paper. I was drawn to the overall look of the image, with its bright whites and exceptional shadow retention. This was going to be my go-to fine art paper for this surface. The only thing I would want to test and compare is Red River's Arctic White paper.
Self-printing has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me since I started printing my images at home since April. I'm eager to experiment with several more sample papers from Hahnemühle, and I can't wait to share the outstanding results.
Here’s a link to the Hahnemuhle sample packs that B&H Photo offers.
Above (L-R) (8.5×11) Hahnmühle Fine Art Baryta Satin 300 gsm , (17×22) Canon Pro Luster 260 gsm
Left: Hahnemühle Museum Etching Paper 350 gsm Right: Hahnemühle Pearl 310 gsm
It’s been approximately three months since we purchased the Canon Pro-1100 printer, and during that time, we have experienced several power outages—three within the last two weeks of June alone. Two things that the printer does not handle well are being powered off and power outages
Read MoreNow that the printer was still securely stored in the box, I found myself needing to order something with the appropriate width and depth that would allow it to sit on top of it comfortably. Although several options I explored online were aesthetically pleasing and well-designed, they didn’t seem practical for the specific purpose
Read MoreCan’t believe it’s been a little over 30 days since received my Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 printer., But for all case and points I’ll refer to it by its shortened name, Canon Pro-1100, and a little on the “why” I waited so long to purchase it. Now begins my word salad
Read MoreFrom our cabin in Walden creek to Cherokee, North Carolina, we drove the 33 miles of scenic road to places such as the Sugarland’s, Chimney Top and the highest peak in the Smokey mountains, Kuwohi formally known as Clingmans dome,
Read MoreWe found our little slice of the Smokie Mountains through Colonial Properties, which is conveniently located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The cabin we chose was a cozy place called Moonlit Hideaway,
Read MoreIt was a very small and intimate ceremony, just the happy couple. myself with my wife and justice of the peace, the Honorable Judge Robert E. Richardson
Read MoreSo, the next hurdle that needs to be dealt with is a file conversion software that can convert the now JPEG image to a VP3, the file format needed for her machine.
Read MoreSurprisingly the main board showed no signs of scorching or burns, being an amp of 25 years old, and being pre-2005, the year the bias drift issue was resolved. The board was clean. Keith went on to assure me that not all the PCB boards were faulty, that some boards never had a bias drift issue. Marshall UK reaffirmed this via email to me when I was seeking info on the faulty boards, and what lots in the production line were good and bad, they too assured me not all boards were bad, and it was possible I had a good one.
Read MoreSince this was a used piece of gear, and according to the listing on the guitar Center website, it was listed as “Excellent.
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This end-of-year blog post is a departure from my usual topics of music and art. Instead, it’s a deeply personal reflection on my own experiences. As 2022 draws to a close, I found myself battling COVID-19, a situation I certainly didn't choose. Due to my underlying health conditions, the journey has been particularly challenging. However, I can't help but think it could have been far worse if I hadn't been vaccinated.
I’ve been wanting an acoustic guitar for quite some time, and the brand that stuck out for me waas Breedlove, a guitar company out of Bend Oregan. Sure, I have looked at other makers, Guild, Martin and Taylor guitars to be exact. Breedlove just checked all the boxes for me in playability and affordability for me.
Read Moreinitially, I wanted to go for the 50s wiring; really dig the tone. Wanted to change out the whole wiring harness in favor of getting as close to a ‘59 Les Paul as I could,
Read MoreSo many things have happened since my last blog in December. Such a mix of emotions. I thought I’d share a little in this month’s blog. A lot of heartbreak, moreover, a lot of celebration of life.
Read MoreWell, I decided to do a remod on my 2013 Gibson Les Paul New Traditional, not so much that “I” am going to do the actual work on it (I don’t trust me);
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Our 14-year-old dachshund, Rascal, crossed the rainbow bridge on October 6th at 11:15 pm. He was dearly loved and will be forever missed.
Rascal was diagnosed with CHF (congestive heart failure) earlier this summer when he collapsed in the yard and lost all mobility in his legs. We rushed him to the vet, and there we were told he suffered some back spasms. They found he had CHF, which was a factor with his age and condition.
Sadly, the vet also informed us that with the CHF, Rascal would be lucky to live another 2 years. Though this news was sad and his passing was quite sudden, my wife held him close till the very end; she had raised him from a pup. We will, for the rest of our days, embrace the wonderful memories he gave us.
October 7th Rascal’s body made the last journey to the Fairlea Animal Hospital here in West Virginia. We made the final arrangement to have his body cremated.
On October 14th Rascal finally came home, we had gotten a sympathy card from the vet’s office with Rascal’s paw print on the inside of the card. They have been very good to our fur babies and we thank them for all they do for them.
