B&W Prints

It’s hard to deny the beauty of a well made B&W print. By removing color, and instead using only black, white, and shades of grey, B&W allows ordinary subjects to be transformed into a print that reveals more than the thing itself. A pepper becomes more than a pepper--a nautilus shell more than an empty shell.

Making a beautiful B&W print is about choosing a proper overall density (exposure) and contrast for a particular photograph, then combining that with local changes (dodging and burning) to both density and contrast, bringing out the purest essence of the subject.

The tools of digital imaging are capable of immense control into the process. When working with a custom printmaker, digital imaging allows great repeatability and ease of proofing. Most adjustments can be made more quickly than in the darkroom, which helps control costs and provides more opportunities to explore the potential of each photograph.

A digital B&W print can have many starting points: Color digital camera files, color slide films, color negative film, B&W negative films, and more. Color photographs are converted to greyscale in the computer with very precise control.

The look and feel of a B&W print has always come from the process that makes the prints. In the analog darkroom, these processes are based on light-sensitive papers that use different metals to achieve their particular look. Most darkroom B&W prints are made with paper that uses silver, but platinum and palladium are also very popular alternative processes.

We have several options for black and white printing:

Light-Sensitive Photo Papers
It is possible to use our Chromira to print onto light-sensitive photo papers and make B&W prints, but we prefer the results of inkjet printing for B&W over light-sensitive papers. However, unique results can be obtained with Fuji SuperGloss and Kodak Metallic paper.

Inkjet Photo Papers
Inkjet photo papers are the best choice when you want to replicate the surface of silver based darkroom papers. Crane Silver Rag is a very popular choice for clients who like the look of gloss-surface fiber based papers used in the darkroom.

Inkjet Fine-Art Papers
A fine-art paper is generally one that looks and feels like the paper used for watercolor paintings, and for many alternative darkroom processes like platinum and palladium printing. You can choose from papers ranging from a light texture, to a heavy texture. Prints on fine-art papers typically have a softer and quieter feel that works well for many photographs and allows a feel similar to platinum and palladium. Blacks are generally muted slightly, but mid and high values are very crisp and defined. Much of the muted effect comes from the non-reflective qualities of the paper itself. Fine-art papers look wonderful when displayed in homes with no direct lighting on the artwork. Our most popular fine art paper is Hahnemuhle Photo Rag

Inkjet Canvas
With inkjet printing, we can also print on specially coated canvases. Since the texture of the canvas shows through, it gives the viewer a sense of a painting, and opens up new avenues of expression for photographers.

A complete list of the papers we offer can be found on our papers page, including our staff favorites.

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