What matte paper for B&W black only printing, not expensive

[esox]

I'm looking for a correct/good matte paper for printing b&w images out of my Sinar F2 new camera. I'm using a R1900 Epson printer with Quadtone Rip for Black only printing. Of course photo rag paper are excellenet but expensive for test printing. I have some archival mat paper, find it a bit to soft in the black.

What "everyday" mat paper are you using ?

[tgtaylor]

Epson, but I'm a novice to digital printing.

Thomas

[esox]

Wich Epson ? Archival mat or enhanced mat ?

[tgtaylor]

Wich Epson ? Archival mat or enhanced mat ?

Enhanced Matte Paper (Formerly Archival Matte Paper) I bought a 50 sheet pack of this paper back when I bought the Epson 2200 - around 2004 or 5. After spending 7 years in storage with the original ink installed the printer is up and printing flawlessly.

Thomas

[Gem Singer]

Epson "Enhanced Matte" paper is now called "Ultra Premium Presentation Matte" paper.

I use it exclusively for B&W printing with my Epson 3880 printer and K-3 inks.

Once the print is framed under glazing, it's difficult to tell whether a $4/sheet paper, or a $1/sheet paper, was used to make the print.

That paper has outstanding D-Max with K-3 Matte Black ink.

[Peter De Smidt]

I prefer Epson's Hot Press Natural.

[esox]

You mean that my archival mat is in fact enhanced mat ?

Do you know about EPSON SOMMERSET VELVET ?

[Brian Ellis]

Since you apparently use QTR (I assume that's what you mean when you say you use "Quadtone Rip") and since you're concerned about cost I'd suggest trying the least expensive of the matte papers for which QTR provides curves. There aren't that many, something like 5 or 6 IIRC.

FWIW when I used matte papers with QTR I mostly used Moab Entrada Natural which is one of the matte papers for which QTR supplies curves. I don't remember how its cost compares to the other papers QTR supports but I don't recall that it's real expensive. I also used Epson Velvet Fine Art and it's a very nice paper but expensive.

The Epson paper you mention hasn't been called "Archival Matte" for many years. They changed the name to "Enhanced Matte" years ago and then changed it again to Ultra Premium Presentation as Gem mentions. Supposedly it's all the same paper, just different names. Epson's marketing plan apparently is to create maximum confusion among potential purchasers.

As an aside, I didn't realize you could print "black only" with QTR. I used to print black only many years ago, before QTR came along and before Epson made inks that were suitable for black and white printing. But QTR and current Epson inks do such a great job with black and white that I abandoned that method some years ago. I'm not suggesting you do the same, just a little surprised that QTR supports black only. Or maybe you aren't referring to QTR when you say you use "Quadtone Rip," in which case you can disregard most of this response to your question.

[Michael Mutmansky]

Brian,

You can set up QTR to just use the three black inks, so if you wanted to, you could print 'black only'. That takes some configuration to do it, because none of the stock profiles are set up that way anymore (I think there used to be some that were BO versions if I recall, but I haven't seen them in a while). In the end, you really don't want to use the stock profiles for much other than a departure point for customization to match your personal desires/needs.

I wouldn't print BO with Epson as the inks are quite green, and I think unsuitable for that approach without adding some magenta to get them closer to neutral (unless you like green prints).

I would suggest to the OP that they consider Red River paper... there are a handful of matte papers, and the prices are quite good. They make a cotton paper as well, the price is much more than the basic alpha paper, but if you want that quality, it is probably the cheapest way to make a 100% cotton print.

60# Premium Matte Plus is nice. Fairly white (OBA) base.
Green Pix is very nice, natural finish, warm, and I think no OBA's.
Aurora White and Aurora Natural are their cotton-based papers. I love the Natural. No OBA's if I recall correctly.


---Michael

[Lenny Eiger]

I would suggest you make friends with a paper distributor. Hahnemuhle has a special this month, lots of rebates, pretty good amount, might even bring it low enough to compete (you could also test the 188 weight). Distributors always have specials. There are always odd lots, and things where they sold everything but one roll, etc. If you were here I would suggest Jim Doyle of Shadesofpaper.com. He has been terrific to me and because he sells to many of the top printmakers and gets feedback from them he can be also be very helpful. In France I would imagine you have wonderful things and many fine paper suppliers. I think you just need some help... from a friendly distributor.

Crane's papers can be very nice and Canson as well. Many of the best papers come from Europe, whether it be Germany or Italy or France.

There's no need to use Epson paper. I have boycotted them myself, at least for the supplies. I don't like what the company has done to our market. But that's another story...

Best of luck,

Lenny

[esox]

Ine fact I'm using a Epson R1900 printer : great fot colour printing but no grey inks. I have one photo black ink (for glossy papers) and one matte black (for matte paper). If I do b&w with the epson driver it uses colour inks to do the greys, and the result isn't grey but something between rd and green grey. Even if I set up the driver for greyscale it uses colour inks (no black only in that driver) that's why I use QTR. And In QTR for the R1900 there are only profiles for Enhanced Matte paper. In France we do not have enhnced matte but archival mat. I thinks that there are different names for the same paper depending on where one is located. If I do a curve with photo black ink (for glossy papers or RC papers) it's not really black ot grey, but something grey. I need to use the matte black ink to have a better greyscale, and on some pictures, it's still too warm and I need to use also the "cool" curve in addidtion, at around 15-25 %. If I use that ink csetup on QTR on baryta or glossy paper, I need to varnish the picture after.

[printisnotdead]

Epson's paper's perfect for that.

[esox]

Epson's paper's perfect for that.

I found also Ilford Heavyweight matte. Much cheaper than Epson archival mat (a bit to warm sometimes) but a bit cold.

[mdd99]

I like 60lb. Polar Matte