Fine Art Papers

Four papers, each suited to a different kind of image. The right paper is the difference between a print that looks like a reproduction and one that looks like the real thing. Here is what each one does and when to use it.

Not sure after reading? Order a sample pack — printed on our machine, credited against your first order.

Colourbyte Smooth — 280gsm cotton rag

Surface: smooth, bright white
Weight: 280gsm
Material: 100% cotton rag, acid free and archival

Best for

Illustration, graphic work, bold flat colour and anything where you want the image to look clean and bright. The smooth surface lets colour sit flat without any texture competing for attention. Our best value archival paper.

Not ideal for

Work where you want the surface to feel like an original painting — the smoothness reads as digital against heavily textured originals.

Order on Colourbyte Smooth →

Hahnemühle German Etching — 310gsm cotton rag

Surface: textured matte, warm white
Weight: 310gsm
Material: 100% cotton rag, acid free and archival

Best for

Reproducing paintings. The pronounced felt texture holds brushwork and gives the print the presence of an original. Watercolour, acrylic, oil and any work with visible mark-making reads beautifully on this paper. The warm white base adds to the sense that you are looking at something made by hand.

Not ideal for

Photography or work with fine detail — the texture can break up thin lines and photographic sharpness.

Order on German Etching →

Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth — 305gsm cotton rag

Surface: ultra smooth, bright white
Weight: 305gsm
Material: 100% cotton rag, acid free and archival

Best for

Fine detail. Pencil, pen and ink, etching, engraving and delicate line work. The flattest surface we stock, so nothing interrupts a precise mark. Bright white base gives the cleanest possible contrast on line drawings.

Not ideal for

Painterly work where some texture would help — the ultra smooth surface will read as a little stark against loose, gestural originals.

Order on Photo Rag Ultra Smooth →

Hahnemühle Baryta Gloss Photo — 350gsm FB alpha cellulose

Surface: bright white gloss
Weight: 350gsm
Material: FB alpha cellulose, acid free and archival

Best for

Photography. The closest a digital print comes to a traditional darkroom fibre print — deep blacks, a wide tonal range and real weight in the hand. Exhibition photography, black and white work and anything needing maximum tonal depth.

Not ideal for

Painting reproduction — the gloss surface and photographic feel do not suit most drawn or painted work.

Order on Baryta →

Hahnemühle Cezanne Canvas — 430gsm pure cotton

Surface: natural white, fine canvas weave
Weight: 430gsm
Material: pure cotton, acid free

Best for

Painting reproduction, stretched wall pieces and work sold ready to hang. The canvas weave gives reproductions an immediacy that paper cannot match — they look made, not printed. Supplied rolled; choose a 1cm border for board mounting or 5cm for stretching over bars.

Order on Cezanne Canvas →

Side by side

Still not sure?

Order a paper sample pack. We print the same image on every paper we stock, on the same machine that will produce your order. Held up to the light next to each other, the differences are obvious in a way no screen can show. The cost is credited against your first print order.