WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RC, FIBER BASE AND FINE ART PAPERS?
Paper Base: In addition to the ink receiving and protective layers, depending on the paper type, the base of the paper will have in the case of RC papers (as used in traditional B&W and color silver halide papers) a paper base encapsulated between two layers of polyethylene, backed by additional layers to control curl and static electricity. For true photographic quality fiber base papers a baryta (barium sulphate) layer is coated on top of the paper base. This enhances the detail and definition of the images, providing whiter whites and deeper blacks. It also has excellent archival qualities. A third class of base usually known as fine art or cotton rag papers are 100% cotton fiber matt, and may be coated or uncoated. Cotton papers are usually described as acid and lignin free, and may also contain alkaline buffering agents to provided increased protection against atmospheric pollutants. Most are relatively heavyweight, do not contain optical brightening agents (which means that they
