Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305

The Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Ultra Smooth 305—another member of the Photo Rag family—is an exceptionally smooth and silky paper designed for high-quality FineArt printing.

This white cotton art paper has an almost smooth surface with a distinctly silky feel.

The premium matte coating ensures outstanding print results with impressive colour reproduction, excellent detail, and deep blacks.

The Photo Rag Ultra Smooth is versatile and delivers impressive results for both FineArt photography and art reproductions. It is acid- and lignin-free, meeting the most demanding standards for ageing resistance.

The Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305 can be included in our sample pack.

SUBSTRATE

100% cotton rag

FINISH AND SURFACE

Matte finish. Smooth and silky. Very soft to the touch.

WHITENESS VALUE

White (94.0% with D65 illuminant, 2° observer, 460 nm)

OBA

Moderate

Thickness	Opacity	pH value	Acid free	Buffered with CaCO3	Water resistance
0,48 mm	99%	8,5 (DIN 53124)	YES	YES	Very white

Thickness	Opacity
0,48 mm	99%

pH value	Acid free
8,5 (DIN 53124)	YES

Buffered with CaCO3	Water resistance
YES	Very white

We strive to keep all data up to date and accurate, but if any specification is truly critical for your choice or decision, please verify it on the manufacturer’s website at www.hahnemuehle.com.

You can also download the information sheet for the Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305 (PDF).

Additional information about terms used in the description of papers for giclée and fine art printing…

Weight

The weight, grammage, or basis weight of a paper refers to the mass of the paper measured in grams per square metre (g/m²). This measurement indicates the density of the paper, that is, how heavy and thick it is per unit area. Grammage is one of the main factors affecting the quality, texture, opacity, and stiffness of the paper.

In practical terms, papers with lower grammage are thinner and more flexible, while those with higher grammage are thicker and stiffer.

As an example:

– Newsprint: Generally has a grammage between 45 g/m² and 50 g/m², making it quite thin and somewhat transparent.
– Office paper: Commonly used in printers and copiers, with a grammage around 80 g/m² to 100 g/m².
– Cardstock: Has a grammage that can range from 150 g/m² to 300 g/m², being thicker and more opaque.
– Watercolour or fine art papers: These can have grammages ranging from 230 g/m² up to 640 g/m² or more, offering high stiffness and exceptional absorption capacity. European giclée or fine art papers generally have a grammage around 300 g/m². However, similar types of papers originating from countries such as Japan—like the Awagami papers we also supply—are traditionally much lighter, starting at around 40 g/m².

The choice of appropriate grammage depends on the intended use of the paper. Often, the decision focuses more on aesthetic and functional aspects than on the longevity or mechanical strength of the papers. And rightly so, we would dare say!

Paper composition

Printing papers are mostly produced in one of the following two ways:

Resin-coated papers (RC) use less fibre and replace that fibre with resin (which is simply a fancy name for “plastic”). This means these papers are inexpensive, strong, and durable, but tend to be less appealing to the touch and absorb less ink. They are very popular in consumer markets;

Papers made from natural fibres are traditional papers produced without plastics, using only plant fibres. They tend to absorb more ink and have a more attractive appearance. These are the papers preferred by the vast majority of our clients and those we use—almost always—in our printing process.

Substrates

The possibilities are many and include:

– Cellulose pulp – also called wood pulp – is the most common (and cheapest) way to produce paper;
– Alpha-cellulose – the highest quality portion of cellulose pulp. Commonly tested for archival properties similar to cotton;
– Cotton – the most common fibre used for producing fine art substrates. Read more about this topic in our FAQ.
Bamboo, agave, hemp, and sugarcane are more environmentally sustainable alternatives to cotton. Many other plant fibres (for example, mulberry) can also be used to produce paper with archival qualities.

Paper surface

In the information we provide to our clients, we divide this characteristic into six groups, which do not always match what manufacturers state on their packaging.

– Matte – smooth or textured;
– Gloss – semi-gloss, gloss, and high gloss;
– Duo (front and back) – special papers (such as Photo Rag Duo) that can be printed with full quality on both sides.

Whiteness tone

We define the “whiteness” of paper as follows:

– Cool white – a paper with a cool (blue) tone;
– Bright white – a paper whiter than natural white papers, but without the bluish tone of a cool white;
– White (or natural white) – a natural white (not as bright as bright white). Most cotton rag papers fall into this category;
– Warm – a paper with a distinctly warm (yellow) tone;
– Pearlescent – paper with a warm grey tone (usually found in metallic papers).

OBA

OBAs, or Optical Brightening Agents, are chemical compounds added to the coating of some papers. They are used to enhance colour appearance by whitening the paper, increasing the amount of blue light reflected and thus compensating for natural yellow tones. Different papers contain varying levels of OBAs. You can confirm if a paper contains optical brightening agents by placing a sheet under ultraviolet light; if it shows a purple glow, it contains OBAs—the brighter the purple light, the higher the OBA content in the paper.

In more technical terms, an OBA, or optical brightener, is a colourless dye that absorbs ultraviolet radiation and emits it as visible light. The presence of optical brighteners in paper causes a predominant reflection in the blue region of the spectrum, which positively influences the reproduction of cool colours (greens, blues, and their derivatives), but negatively affects the reproduction of warm colours.

Other papers you may find interesting…

TEST ALL THE PAPERS WE HAVE AT PIGMENTO

Request your sample pack with prints of your own images.

Our sample pack consists of at least 4 prints, featuring images of your choice. It was created to simplify the selection and decision process and is offered at a symbolic price with shipping costs covered by Pigmento.

Learn more about our giclée and fine art sample pack…