Recommndations for good quality papers for pigment based inkjet printer

[Jim Benson]

I have a Epson P800 that I haven’t set up yet. From what I’ve read (in the book Fine Art Printing for Photographers, by Uwe Steinmueller and Juergen Gulbins) I should be looking for coated, particularly microporous coated, paper. They also suggest to avoid papers with optical brighteners, since they may fade over time, causing a color shift.


Other factors include that they are matte papers, with a weight of at least 230 gsm, and paper that comes in precise sizes of 8 x 10, 11 x 14, and 16 x 20.


Also square formats


Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[L Gebhardt]

There are a huge number of choices out there, and many are excellent. It would be beneficial to try some trial packs to see what you like. I really like the new Epson Legacy Platine. It appears the same paper (with maybe minor tweaks) is sold under many different brands. The first I used was Canson Platine, and the Red River Palo Duro seems to be another almost identical paper. I now buy them based on price and size, with Red River having the best selection of sizes.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1226981-REG/epson_s450183_legacy_paper_sample_pack.html will get you started with a few really good papers.

 

[Doyle Thomas]

http://www.canson-infinity.com/en/products/rag-photographique

 

[jtk]

https://www.itsupplies.com/inkjet-art very reliable service, huge inventory, lowest price, tremendous inventory of all sorts of papers. They describe things well.

 

[jim10219]

My paper of choice is Sihl Maranello. It's ticks all of the boxes you're looking for, except I don't know if it's available in sheets. I buy it in rolls.

I've used several different brands of paper over the years. Many of them are the same paper but come in different boxes. I'm not a paper snob, and the Sihl Maranello line is good enough to fit my needs. Also, I get a good deal on the Sihl ( work next door to a paper distributer), which is my main reason for using it over another, similar brand. In any case, it works great and I have no complaints other than they tape the roll together, so I automatically have to cut off the first foot and a half every time. That seems a waste to me.

 

[Cincinnati]

Mr Benson. I’m getting in very late in the lifecycle of this thread.

There are many fine papers on the market. You’ll go bonkers if not broke trying to test everything.

I’ve been printing for better than 20 years. The one thing I learned is to standardize on a few papers.

I started out years ago with Hahnemuhle. Later incorporated Canson Infinity, and finally today only use Epson Legacy. Every manufacturer seems to have something that I like. All produce excellent results. The Epson Legacy is by far my favorite because of the weight and coating. Platine and Baryta both take pigments very well and have the look and feel of a traditional darkroom print - both in B&W and in color. Legacy Fibre and Legacy Etching have an art feel and make my Painter images look like traditional watercolor and charcoal etchings.

I choose zero OB papers as much as possible.

I make custom profiles for each one. But if you are not set up to do that, the manufacturer profiles are very good. I used them for years before going custom.

Perhaps more important than the paper is the inks you use. I have colleagues using OEM Epson inks and getting very nice results. But I’m arguably a quality freak. I standardized on ConeColor HD pigments and PiezoPro HD Monochromatic pigments in a pair of Epson 3880’s. The quality of these inks is greater than Epson inks and the fact they are more economical is a bonus.

 

[jtk]

Perhaps more important than the paper is the inks you use. I have colleagues using OEM Epson inks and getting very nice results. But I’m arguably a quality freak. I standardized on ConeColor HD pigments and PiezoPro HD Monochromatic pigments in a pair of Epson 3880’s. The quality of these inks is greater than Epson inks and the fact they are more economical is a bonus.[/QUOTE]

I've closely inspected the work of dozens of very fine B&W inkjet prints, some of which involve Cone and Piezo.

I've seen evidence that they are better in any respect than Epson (or Canon) OEM. If you factor in the hassle/time-sink involved in use of those inks, and the likely (IMO) destruction of the Epson itself via non-OEM, I think the "quality" issue favors Epson pigments (and Canon).

IF one does very high volume printing, perhaps the alleged economy of non-OEM is valid, though the lifespan of Epson printers themselves, vs Canon, is also an economic issue.

 

[jtk]

Perhaps more important than the paper is the inks you use. I have colleagues using OEM Epson inks and getting very nice results. But I’m arguably a quality freak. I standardized on ConeColor HD pigments and PiezoPro HD Monochromatic pigments in a pair of Epson 3880’s. The quality of these inks is greater than Epson inks and the fact they are more economical is a bonus.

I've closely inspected the work of dozens of very fine B&W inkjet prints, some of which involve Cone and Piezo.

I've seen evidence that they are better in any respect than Epson (or Canon) OEM. If you factor in the hassle/time-sink involved in use of those inks, and the likely (IMO) destruction of the Epson itself via non-OEM, I think the "quality" issue favors Epson pigments (and Canon).

IF one does very high volume printing, perhaps the alleged economy of non-OEM is valid, though the lifespan of Epson printers themselves, vs Canon, is also an economic issue.[/QUOTE]

I goofed. Meant to say I've seen NO EVIDENCE that the non oem has any visual advantage at all.. they're time sinks and tend to jam/destroy Epsons. Happily they're not available for Canon's.

 

[slackercrurster]

Optical brighteners? Over time the paper reverts to a non brightened base. No big deal, just less stark white.