C2PS: Question for Jeff – why a white mat?

[MarkH2]

Jeff,

In “C2PS_27 – Image Processing: CameraRaw to PS to Print” near the end you frame the Moab print with a white mat.  Since the mat’s white is not the same as the white of the print and it appears to be brighter, won’t the viewer adapt to the mat’s white, thereby changing his perception of all of the colors of the print?

Won’t using a gray or black mat eliminate this white/chromatic adaptation issue?  Not unlike using toned down neutrals in your studio, or working in Photoshop with a gray border?

Mark

[Schewe]

I like a classic white matt...that's why I use it. And truth be told, the matt white isn't brighter than the EFP paper I printed on. Not sure how it cam out tin the video, but in person the matt is just a touch down from the paper white.

[MarkH2]

Your first answer is sufficient: you like it!  It’s classic for a reason.

Since brightness of the matt vs the print paper is potentially an issue, I decided to look at the brightness of various papers.  I extracted the media white point tag from their icc profiles and converted to Lab.  Here is their luminance (L value).  All of the profiles are for the Epson R3000 printer and are from the paper manufacturers.

Paper                                              Luminance

Canson Fineart Baryta 310                   98.22
Epson Ultra Smooth Fine-Art                97.94
Hahnamuhle Fineart Baryta                  97.73
Epson Velvet Fine Art                           97.30
Red River Aurora Fine Art White            97.21
Epson Hot Press Bright                         96.63
Epson Cold Press Bright                        96.47
Epson Hot Press Neutral                       96.35
Red River Arctic Polar Gloss                  95.54
Canson Photo Highgloss Prm RC 315     95.41
Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper                 95.12
Epson Premium Luster                         94.58

I don’t know what the measured brightness of matts are.  Looking at my own, they tend to be less bright than the paper.  So maybe the classic white matt does not create a problem.

Nice that the Barytas are outshining the RCs.  I am liking them for their gamut, dynamic range, and look-and-feel.