Our Fine Papers

Having a love of fine art giclee printing and with a large selection of fine papers and canvas products from world renowned paper mills at hand, we create stunning prints with permanence qualities that can withstand the tests of time.

Our Papers

A few Toronto printers offer what they refer to generically as "Fine Art" papers without specifying the origin or manufacturer or even the names of those papers. This reeks of the presumption that you know so little that you should not be concerned with details regardless of their importance. This is similar to a car salesman offering a car for sale without specifying make, model, year, features etc. while expecting that should be good enough for you.

As a Toronto Canson Certified Print Lab, we offer stunning, fine art digital inkjet printing using 10 and 12 colour pigment inks on wide format Epson Sure Color printers. We print on a wide variety of only the finest, archival, cotton rag and high alpha-cellulose papers from France, Germany, Italy, England and Japan from paper mills such as Canson, Arches, Hahnemuhle, St. Cuthbert’s, Ilford, Fabriano, Moab and Awagami. These papers have finishes ranging from ultra-smooth to heavily toothed and from matte to satin gloss with various white points between bright white and warm white.  On the other hand, generic, “Imitation” fine art papers do not measure up to the superior quality and longevity of our authentic fine art papers in terms of weight, texture, archival quality, printability, sharpness or colour gamut. From beautiful, sturdy, photo-style Canson Barytas with satin gloss and mild texture to lovely, painterly, cotton based Hahnemuhle Torchon which has a lyrical, romantic feel with bright white point and undulating texture, our fine papers like our prints are simply among the highest quality that money can buy. You will not find better anywhere. Still, our pricing is reasonable and fair and is better than many if not all fine art print studios in Toronto.

Having a love of fine art giclee printing and with a large selection of fine papers and canvas products from world renowned paper mills at hand, we create stunning prints with permanence qualities that can withstand the tests of time. All from our Toronto studio.

Papers we Currently Use

For Basic Photo Prints / Proofs:

These 6 papers under the Epson moniker are: Gloss 255 gsm, Lustre 255 gsm, Semi-Gloss 255 gsm, Semi-Matte Photo 255 gsm, Semi-Matte Proofing 240 gsm or Premium Presentation Matte Paper 190 gsm.

For High Resolution Monitored Prints:

These papers under the Epson moniker:  Hot Press Natural (UltraSmooth) 330 gsm, Cold Press Natural 340 gsm,  Velvet Fine Art, Exhibition Fiber 325 gsm;  Somerset Velvet F.A. 255 gsm; Legacy Series: Fine Art Platine 314 gsm, Fine Art Baryta 314 gsm and Legacy Etching 314 gsm;

  • by Canson Infinity:   Baryta Photographique 310 gsm;  Baryta Prestige 340 gsm;  Canson Aquarelle 310gsm (Warmer than ARCHES Aquarelle with very Uniform Texture), Platine Rag 310 gsm.
  • by Canson ARCHES:  Aquarelle Rag 310 gsm.(Brighter White than Canson Aquarelle with more random texture),  BFK Rives Pure White 310 gsm and Arches 88 Rag 310 gsm.
  • by Ilford: Galerie Prestige Smooth Pearl 290 gsm, Gold Fibre Silk 315 gsm, Gold Fibre Gloss.
  • by Hahnemuhle Fine Art: Photo Rag Pearl 320 gsm, Photo Rag Bright White 310 gsm, Photo Rag Baryta 315 gsm, Fine Art Baryta, William Turner 190 and 310 gsm, Bamboo 290 gsm, Museum Etching 350 gsm, Torchon 285 gsm.
  • by Hahnemuhle/Harman: Gloss Baryta 320gsm.
  • by MOAB: Somerset Museum Rag 300gsm.
  • Metallic by Kodak: Professional Metallic Photo 255gsm;  by Red River Polar Pearl 305 gsm.
  • Under the Epson Moniker: Premium Gloss, Lustre, Semi-matte, Enhanced Matte and Poster Style.

What is Fine Paper?

Paper is an extraordinary thing. The natural bonding of fibrous materials form strong sheets on which humanity has poured out its musings for thousands of years. “Fine paper” is not a precisely defined term. However, practically speaking, the term “fine art paper” simply refers to suitable paper for use by “fine artists.” That said, the term has become synonymous with high quality papers with superb archival qualities for use in different applications. In digital photography, it essentially precludes high gloss, RC (resin coated) based, plasticized papers such as those found in standard gloss, lustre or semi-gloss photo-style materials.

Historically, fine art paper was usually made using 100% cotton content and, for photography, high alpha-cellulose (purified wood pulp). Both are suitable for archival purposes since they address the problem of preserving documents for long periods. The intensity of fine paper often catches people by surprise. It is evocative and sensual. A hand made sheet of paper is a delicate, natural material which reflects every level of existence. For many, the exploration of different qualities of unknown sheets opens up new ways of thinking and inspires creativity. The selection of a suitable paper on which to render an image is a deeply personal issue. The right choice of paper is essential if the desired results are to be achieved. We are happy to work with our clients in close collaboration to ensure that the right selection paper or canvas is achieved.

Detailed Descriptions

KEY:-   AC: Alpha-cellulose; B: Bamboo;  C: Cotton Fibre;  RC: Resin Coated; Reference to OBA (Optical Brightening Agents) content:-  OBA: Heavy Content;   Md: Medium Content; VL: Very Light Content

NOTE:   Epson is a manufacturer of fine inkjet printing equipment. Epson does NOT manufacture papers. The papers listed below which carry the Epson moniker were actually made by various mills such as Canson, Hahnemuhle and others around the world.