Inkjet baryta papers are modelled on traditional fibre-based darkroom papers. They usually combine a cotton or alpha-cellulose base with a barium sulphate layer and an inkjet receiver coating, giving deep blacks, a subtle gloss or lustre, and a surface that many photographers and fine art printers regard as the finest available. That reputation is exactly why coating them needs thought.
Reasons printers do coat baryta
- Gloss differential. With pigment inks, inked and uninked areas can show slightly different sheen, and dense areas can show bronzing at certain angles. An even coat can reduce these effects.
- Handling. Baryta surfaces can be easily scuffed or marked by fingerprints. A coat gives prints sold unframed or in portfolios a tougher face.
- Display without glass. For prints hung without glazing, a coating with UV inhibitors adds a layer of protection against fading and dirt. See framing without glass.
What a coat changes
Any coating replaces the paper’s own surface with its own. The characteristic baryta sheen, and sometimes the slight texture, will look different afterwards. Some clients will see that as an improvement; others, especially collectors and galleries who chose the paper for its surface, may not. Discuss it before coating rather than after.
There is also the question of archival intent. For museum and conservation work, adding any coating is a decision that institutions usually make themselves, against their own standards. Our museum and gallery page touches on this.
Testing on baryta
Baryta receiver layers differ between manufacturers, and some are more sensitive than others. A solvent coating may affect certain surfaces, so test on the exact paper. We suggest:
- a test print with a full tonal step wedge, deep blacks and bare paper white;
- full drying before coating, as pigment on these papers can take time to settle;
- a thin, even coat, applied in a dust-free area;
- a check of black density and neutrality after drying, against an uncoated twin, and at a raking angle for sheen.
Baryta prints are often handled carefully and sold at a premium, so a ruined print costs more. For more on the wider category, see fine art papers.
If you are deciding whether to offer coated baryta, we are glad to talk it through. Telephone 01252 624 411 or email info@landoruk.com, and do send a test pair if you have one.