The Best Fine Art Paper for Giclee Printing UK

Written by Paul Worrall

When I was at ARTdiscount, we ran a print arm for years called Print Discount, alongside a seperate site, posterprints.co.uk, built around a large format poster printer that our printing partner Granthams had just invested in. What I learned watching that operation for years, long before I ever thought about writing about it, is that the printer gets all the attention and the paper gets almost none — and that’s backwards. The printer determines resolution and colour accuracy. The paper determines whether a print actually looks and feels like a piece of art, or like something that came out of an office machine.

I’ve spent 16 years in the UK art supplies industry and now run Discount Art Supplies, used by over 36,000 UK artists every week. If you’ve already sorted your printer — our guide to the best printers for art prints covers that ground — this is the honest breakdown of what to actually put through it.

Matte, Baryta, Canvas or Textured — What Actually Differs

Before the individual papers, the finish matters more than the brand, and it’s worth understanding the categories before you spend money in the wrong one.

Matte papers (cotton rag, uncoated) give flat, non-reflective surfaces with rich, velvety blacks and no glare — the standard choice for most fine art reproduction, and genuinly the safest starting point if you’re not sure what you want.

Baryta papers mimic traditional darkroom photographic paper — a smooth, semi-gloss surface with a subtle sheen that gives images real depth and punch. Favoured heavily by photographers and anyone printing high-contrast, detailed work.

Canvas replicates the texture of a painted surface, and is the obvious choice for reproducing paintings specifically — it reads as “art” in a way flat paper simply doesn’t, though it needs proper stretching or mounting afterwards to look finished.

Textured/watercolour-style papers have a genuine tooth to the surface, closer to what watercolourists actually paint on. These suit looser, painterly work far better than smooth papers, which can make watercolour reproductions look strangely flat.

1. Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 — Best Overall Matte

Photo Rag is close to the industry default for a reason — 100% cotton rag, acid-free, and consistantly rated by independent reviewers as the benchmark matte fine art paper. The 308gsm weight has enough substance to feel genuinly premium in hand without becoming difficult to feed through smaller desktop printers.

It handles pigment ink beautifully across the full tonal range, and it’s the paper most fine art printer manufacturers use in their own sample packs and marketing material — which tells you where the industry consensus actually sits, rather than where marketing budgets happen to point.

If you only buy one fine art paper to start with, this is it.

2. Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique II — Best Baryta/Glossy

If matte feels too flat for the work you’re printing, Baryta Photographique II is where I’d point you next. The semi-gloss finish gives noticeably deeper blacks and a wider apparent dynamic range than matte papers can achieve, while still avoiding the harsh glare of a full-gloss photo paper.

It’s genuinly the closest thing on the market to traditional silver halide darkroom photo paper, which is exactly why photographers rate it so highly for portrait and landscape reproduction specifically. For illustrators and digital artists with high-contrast, detailed work, it can make a real difference over matte.

The trade-off is careful handling — the surface is more prone to showing fingerprints and handling marks during production than matte paper, so cotton gloves are worth the small hassle.

3. Hahnemühle Monet Canvas — Best Canvas

For reproducing paintings specifically, canvas is the finish that actually reads as “art” to a buyer rather than “print.” Hahnemühle’s Monet Canvas has a genuine woven texture that catches pigment ink beautifully, and it’s specifically formulated to avoid the cracking issues that cheaper inkjet canvases can develop once stretched.

Worth knowing before buying: canvas prints need proper handling afterwards — stretching over a frame or careful mounting — which isn’t a step most matte or baryta prints require. Factor that into your budget and workflow, not just the paper cost itself.

For anyone reproducing original paintings to sell as canvas prints, this is where I’d start rather than a cheaper generic alternative.

4. Hahnemühle German Etching — Best Textured/Watercolour Finish

German Etching has a genuine, pronounced tooth that’s closer to what a watercolourist actually paints on than any of the smoother papers in this guide. For reproducing loose, painterly watercolour work specifically, printing onto a smooth matte or baryta surface can look strangely flat and lifeless — this paper avoids that problem entirely.

It’s a heavier, more substantial paper (310gsm), which gives finished prints real physical presence, and the texture reads clearly even under gallery lighting rather than disappearing at a distance.

If you’re specifically reproducing watercolour or other loose media rather than photography or digital illustration, this is the paper I’d reach for before any of the smoother options above.

5. Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag — Best Fibre-Based

Platine Fibre Rag sits in its own category, genuinly — a fibre-based cotton rag paper that combines the archival qualities of a true rag paper with a subtle sheen closer to a traditional fibre-based darkroom print. It’s popular specifically among fine art photographers who want something between the flatness of matte and the reflectivity of baryta.

It’s a premium price point, and I wouldn’t recommend it as a first purchase — but for anyone who’s already tried Photo Rag and Baryta Photographique and wants something in between, it’s worth the money rather than compromising on either extreme.

Best suited to serious photographic and fine art reproduction where subtlety in tone matters more than a bold, obviously textured finish.

6. PermaJet Photo Satin 280 — Best Budget Option

PermaJet is a genuinly well-regarded UK brand, and the Photo Satin 280 is the sensible starting point for anyone testing whether home giclee printing is worth pursuing before committing to Hahnemühle or Canson prices. It’s a satin-finish resin-coated paper — not a true fine art rag paper, but perfectly capable of good results for practice prints, proofing and lower-stakes work.

It won’t match the archival credentials or surface quality of the premium papers above, and I wouldn’t sell finished prints on it if longevity matters to the buyer. But for learning your printer’s settings, testing colour profiles, and general practice before committing serious money to premium paper, it’s the sensible choice.

Once you know what finish suits your work, upgrading to one of the papers above is the natural next step.

Which Should You Buy?

Start with Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 if you’re printing a mix of work and want one dependable matte paper that suits almost everything. Move to Baryta Photographique II specifically for photography and high-contrast detailed work. Use canvas only when you’re reproducing paintings and want that finish specifically — factor in stretching costs. Reach for German Etching if you’re reproducing watercolour or loose painterly work. And if you’re still testing whether home giclee printing is worth the investment at all, PermaJet Photo Satin 280 lets you find out without spending premium money before you’re sure.

Whatever you choose, always run a test print and check colour profiles before committing to a full run — paper absorbs ink differently to screen colours, and even the best printer in the world will disappoint on the wrong paper.

For the printer itself, our best printers for art prints guide covers the hardware side in full, and if home printing isn’t for you, our guide to UK giclée printing companies compares the professional bureau alternative.