150 years of photography

While François de Guise is arming troops to recapture the kingdom of Naples from the Spanish, and at a time when tensions prevail between Catholics and Protestants, Ambert papermaker Jacques Montgolfier leaves his native Auvergne to settle in the Beaujolais area.
This marks the beginning of the geographical expansion of this family which, across several centuries, is to set up a large number of paper mills.

Michel and Raymond Montgolfier – the sons of the Beaujeu papermaker – arrived in Vidalon where the Chelles papermaking family of Auvergne was involved in paper sizing. They fell in love with the master's daughters and, two weeks later, married Françoise and Marguerite, a union which rooted the Montgolfier family in Vivarais.

On 17 December 1782, a strange paper bag inflates above a fire in the Montgolfier brothers' garden. It straightens up and lifts off into the sky. It crosses the river and gently lands on a hillside. Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier transformed the dream of Icarus into a reality. One day, man will fly like a bird… 
1782 was a fundamental year for science: Lavoisier discovered the composition of water.

On 19 March, the Montgolfier paper mills were hoisted to the rank of Manufacture Royale, a highly coveted title by all of the kingdom's papermakers. It was bestowed on those whose innovation potential ranked them at the top of the profession. 
A few years later, the Bastille fell. The king's favour would no longer be seen as desirable.

Etienne de Montgolfier has been dead for two years. His son-in-law, Barthélemy Barou de la Lombardière de Canson takes over from him. This is when the name Canson® first appears in the history of papermaking, a name which will become mythical for artists and lovers of beautiful papers.

The Canson family continued to focus on innovation like the Montgolfier before them. In the greatest secrecy, they invented tracing paper, this transparent medium which avoided the need for architects to redraw the same plan again and again. Then, they started colouring paper in the pulp, giving the sheets a lasting, uniform colour. 
Napoleon continued his conquest of Europe.

With the paper machine, it became urgent to modernise sizing. How could such long sheets be manually be dipped in a gelatine bath? Barthélémy and Etienne de Canson develop a sticky wax-based product which is mixed into the paper pulp.

Photography pioneers like Gustave Le Gray and Blanquart-Evrard...used Canson^® et Frères paper. 
In 1851, French photographer Gustave Le Gray filed a patent for his "dry waxed paper". In his treatise, he stated among other things that he was using Canson^® paper to develop his dry waxed paper. Of note is that Gustave Le Gray always trained the major photographers of his era.
The magazine "La Lumière" was the first press publication on photography. It started in 1851 and ran until about 1967. Canson^® features in its articles.

In 1865 Canson® secured a patent on December 8th 1865 since the process was simpler and cost less than the ones used before then. This Canson® paper cut out the need to use the platinum or gold chloride that toning entailed.

Canson®'s linen-finished photo paper earned them acclaim at the 1892 Exposition Internationale de Photographie: “From a photographic standpoint, Papeteries de Vidalon have attracted every specialist’s attention with a variety of products affording superior, and now renowned, quality.
These are papers in rolls for industrial photography, using a variety of processes and affording unquestionably superior results; and paper finished with linen, referred to as parchment fabric, also produced in rolls, recently perfected and manufactured especially for photography applications, using new processes.”

Art teachers weighed down by piles of notebooks to mark, drawings that cannot be exhibited… The Canson® paper mills find the solution: a paper pack to sell sheets by the dozen and preserve them. The famous pack was born, withstanding the passage of time and fashions.

For Canson® , computer aided drawing and the conservation of archives are the subject of the same concern: developing and marketing products which meet current needs. Computer aided design (CAD) and the High Quality Conservation (HQC) label appear in the catalogues.

Building on its experience in photograph paper, Canson^® launched Canson® Infinity, a combination of the character of the most beautiful paper used by artists the world over, coating using high-end technology and high standards in terms of longevity.

In its permanent quest to be close to artists, Canson^® creates the Fonds Canson® pour l'Art et le Papier, aimed at promoting artists working with the paper.
 The first Prix Canson^® is awarded to the young artist Fabien Mérelle by a panel of judges headed by the painter Gérard Garouste.
 Canson^® also becomes a major partner of the Louvre museum .

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has announced the winners of the 20th round of the TIPA Awards. 
Canson^® Infinity’s Baryta Photographique is the recipient for Best Fine Art Inkjet Paper.
TIPA editors have been bestowing the TIPA Awards to imaging products since 1991 in order to help photo enthusiasts and professionals make the best purchasing choices. 
Baryta Photographique is a true Baryta paper that offers the look and aesthetic of the original darkroom baryta print and complies with the ISO 9706 standard for maximum longevity. 

«The quality of an inkjet print is of course dependent on the skill of the printmaker and the content of the image, but having a paper that will deliver optimal results can be just as important. 
Canson^® Infinity Photo Lustre Premium RC 310gsm offers a flexible and sturdy weight of 310 gsm (grams per square meter) that does not pose challenges to most inkjet printers feeds yet delivers a print that will mount well and will not be easily damaged during handling. 
It consists of an alpha cellulose acid-free paper base coated with a structure polyethylene and a microporous receiver layer, and is compatible with both dye and pigmented inkjet printers. 
The combination of an extra-white base and stunning lustre finish brings out the best in colour and monochrome images».

The TIPA 2017 awards panel, voted the Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige 340gsm, the best inkjet paper.
The quote from the Panel is as follows: "Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige is a 340g/m2 inkjet paper made from acid-free, alpha cellulose and cotton with a coating containing barium sulphate (“baryta”). It has the aesthetic look and feel of a traditional darkroom paper.
This is a durable paper that gives a sense of richness and depth to the tonal values and nuances, with a “smooth & glossy” surface that boasts the appearance and sharpness of traditional glossy paper, but without the intense brilliance of gloss papers. Its grammage and usability makes it really easy to work with and handle. It is suitable for use in all photo inkjet printers on the market."

Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige

Canson Infinity is embracing a new level of growth, innovation and identity with a new, strong and recognizable logo, composed of easy-to-read capital letters. Clear and modern, the logo includes the symbol of the hot-air balloon which replaces the letter O in Canson, bringing classic, historical look to the refreshing touch.
 
The new logo also includes the slogan “Manufacture depuis 1557”, underlining both the French origin and the year of the brand’s creation.

In February 2021, Canson® Infinity, add to the portfolio by introducing four new digital art papers from the iconic ARCHES® paper mill. The FILA Group, owner of the French Canson® paper mill and brand, acquired the ARCHES® business in March 2020 to further strength its position as a leader in the fine art paper market. The emblematic ARCHES® papers have been the selection of choice for many artistic greats including masterpieces from Van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall and Picasso.
The research & development team has developed a unique, proprietary inkjet receiving layer which has been applied to four ARCHES® digital papers: ARCHES® 88, ARCHES® BFK Rives® Pure White, ARCHES® BFK Rives® White and ARCHES® Aquarelle. This unique layer delivers exceptional D-Max, a wide colour gamut, extreme precision and excellent tonal range. In addition, the team has developed a portfolio of digital fine art papers that are the whitest in the market today without the use of any harmful optical brightening agents. The combination of the inkjet receiving layer and the natural white ARCHES® base offers real tangible advantages for photographers looking to create vibrant prints on a pure white base that will not degrade over time.
Artists, printmakers and photographers now have the opportunity to create digital art prints on authentic ARCHES® paper for limited or open edition works.

Canson^® Infinity is delighted to announce the introduction of the latest range of digital fine art matt papers. Produced at the renowned St Cuthberts Mill, in England, the Somerset Enhanced portfolio offers photographers, artists and printmakers, the opportunity to produce art reproduction limited or open edition prints on a range of papers produced by artisan papermakers. Dating back to 1736, the St Cuthberts Mill has been producing paper for centuries and today, using the traditional mouldmade process, manufacturers the Somerset range of papers.

Used by traditional printmakers for time honoured techniques such as intaglio, stone litho, screen printing and relief, a proprietary coating, using the latest technology, has been applied to the traditional base to create the Somerset Enhanced digital fine art range. This unique coating gives the final digital fine art print excellent depth and clarity of colour, superb sharpness and detail, with a smooth tonal range.

Created without the use of optical brightening agents (OBAs), these papers have a natural white tone, have a 100% cotton base and are available in a range of aesthetics from a smooth satin finish, a soft grain velvet and a traditional watercolour texture. The Somerset Enhanced range is designed to complement the existing fine art papers in the Canson Infinity range.

 

• Somerset^® Enhanced Satin
• Somerset^® Enhanced Velvet
• Somerset^® Enhanced Watercolour
• Somerset^® Discovery Pack