Epson paper choices

[algarzai]

Hi,
i have just purchased the new Epson 9890. I am planning to print B&W and color pictures of various sizes. What suggestions do you have for starter paper from Epson.
I am planning to buy roll or sheets of:
- Glossy
- Semigloss paper
- Semimatt
- Matt
- Canvas

my objective is high quality gallery prints.

[Gem Singer]

Take a look at the selection of Epson papers at www.atlex.com

They have them listed for size and surface finish.

There are many choices, depending on your preference.

BTW, two vendors have told me that Epson Exhibition Fiber is their most popular selling luster surface paper.

Looks and feels like double weight air dried photo paper.

[JC Kuba]

I would suggest going to this forum for a lot of good advice on ink jet papers:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=c1842e0ed001cb7ddf4080c1a1158236&board=6.0

[algarzai]

Gem & JC

thanks I visited the links they are great.

[Lenny Eiger]

try shadesofpaper.com
I wouldn't buy any Epson products if I could avoid it. The printers work great, good quality prints, but the company is pushing everyone in the industry around and I have chosen to boycott all their consumables. Try Crane and Hahnemeuhle. There's a few other good ones as well...

Lenny
EigerStudios

[Gem Singer]

Lenny,

There's an old saying: "When you are the big gorilla in the room, you can choose to sit anywhere you want".

I'm not sure what you mean by "Epson is pushing everyone in the industry around".

I personally don't care as long as they are not pushing us consumers around.

I have owned Hewlett Packard, Microtek, and now Epson. Their V750 scanner and 3880 printer are the best of the three brands.

Epson papers work exceptionally well with the new K3 inks.

[Lenny Eiger]

I personally don't care as long as they are not pushing us consumers around.

They certainly are pushing us around. I use non-Epson ink, mostly from Jon Cone. The Epson staff aren't even allowed to speak to me as a result. I know this sounds silly, but I got it from the horse's mouth.

They have tried forever to put Jon Cone out of business. And they have tried to force everyone to use Epson ink, including trying to limit the use of refillable, or any alternative cartridges. They have mostly succeeded in that last respect.

They forced the RIP software company I use to not support black and white ink anymore, in any printer. They forced Roland out of the Fine Art Market, the company that had the best fine art printer for a number of years. A dVinci setup has generally 200K more colors than a 9600 and Epson is only now getting near the color space with its latest offerings. Roland's are made like tanks, and are easily maintainable, unlike the Epson's - which are designed to break.

Epson's black and white is still not as good as Cones', by a long shot. ABA is plenty for some for what they are looking for, but you can't compare 2 or 3 ink dilutions with 6 or 7. Finally, their longevity numbers have always been a little suspect.

Their printers print well, but as a company, they don't deserve our support... If I don't have to buy their consumables, I won't. It's like saying what happens in Washington DC doesn't affect me.... (whichever your perspective) and then one day it does.

Lenny
EigerStudios

[Barry Kirsten]

Agreed Lenny, Epson have always played bully-boy. But at least you good folk in the US have choices which we in Australia (and other parts of the world no doubt) don't.

We have some alternatives, but I have found in general that it's better in the long run to deal with US companies for everything in photography. It sometimes costs a lot more, especially when expensive consumables are concerned, and that is often a limiting factor.

At the moment I stick with Epson hardware and consumables, which I feel are the best I can afford, but I hope in future try some alternatives.

Barry.

[Greg Lockrey]

I have always had dependable results with any of the Epson papers. 90% of my clients including myself like Epson's Enhanced Matte for most work. If a client needs "glossy" I use a gloss laminate. Either of the Fine Art Papers are nice and I sell quite a bit of Canvas.... I prefer the matte version as I use matte black ink. All those other papers people suggest are nice too but you will have to get or make profiles to run properly. The Epson "canned" profiles are good but I use Bill Atcheson (sp) with great results.

[Peter De Smidt]

Epson's ABW mode uses more than 3 inks. It uses PK/MK, LK and LLK, but these are not all, as the inks just mentioned are quite warm and greenish. ABW uses color inks to counter-act that. This system has it's pluses and minuses, but I know a number of very fine printers who use it. I mix up multiple grays, and the results are better than the OEM solution, but only on particular matte papers, and I can't print color with that printer. I agree with Lenny that it's nice to have options.

[Lenny Eiger]

I have always had dependable results with any of the Epson papers. 90% of my clients including myself like Epson's Enhanced Matte for most work. If a client needs "glossy" I use a gloss laminate. Either of the Fine Art Papers are nice and I sell quite a bit of Canvas.... I prefer the matte version as I use matte black ink. All those other papers people suggest are nice too but you will have to get or make profiles to run properly. The Epson "canned" profiles are good but I use Bill Atcheson (sp) with great results.

If you like it, then that's great. However, when you feel like you want to try something else, give a Crane paper a whirl, or a Hahnemuhle. PhotoRag is amazing in the matte variation, for those who like that. You will find they are much "richer". I remember the first batch of enhanced "archival" matte. They had hired someone to make an archival coating, but apparently, they hadn't thought that the substrate also ought to be archival.

They buy huge lots of paper, of course, so your claim of dependable is probably true. However, they have shown themselves to be untrustworthy when it comes to supplying full and accurate information about the longevity issues of both ink and paper. Apparently, we should all just listen to them because they are Epson, after all.

They spent perhaps 20-30 millions dollars trying to put Jon Cone out of business. For a fraction of that, they could have hired Jon to do a special Jon Cone printer, filled with the most amazing black dilutions and everyone would have made money. It is their lack of vision, and their mafia-like control of the industry that is so offensive. The latest version of the EAM is better than those that came before, but it isn't as good as Hahnemuhle, who started making paper in the 16th century....you're comparing a Ford (deliberately) to a Rolls Royce.

Lenny

[gnuyork]

I use Epson Exhibition, Ilford Gallerie Gold Fibre Silk, and Hahnemhule Fine Art Baryta now as my primary papers. They use the glossy inkset from Epson.

My favorite is the hahnemhule, but it's the most expensive.

The Ilford is probably the best deal, except when Atlex had a huge sale on the Epson Exhibition I bought a large quantity of it.

All three papers are very good though. I first tried the Baryta B&W sample pack from Atlex and these three were my favorite. There were some others in there I didn't care for - the Harmon being one of them.

In the past I was exclusively using matte papers, primarily Hahnemhule, but these new Baryta papers are better in my opinion.

[algarzai]

thanks all for your participation in the thread. i am sorry for not being able to actively be part of the thread because we just had a baby boy :)

I am planning to stick with Epson inks. i was planning to use all Epson papers until i accumulate more experience in printing but i am changing my mind now :)

i think i will try hahnemhule and ilford.

[jp]

I like Epson Enhanced Matte myself. I only print color with it.