Beautiful Cut Sheet Inkjet Paper

[bob carnie]

I am working with Cannon and Epson Inkjet printers, mainly commercial and some art display work, and have been happy with Photo Rag, that is produced by Haneamuhle and of late Fuji Photo Rag. I have been only using paper on rolls on our big Cannon.

I have a project in hand where I would like to use our Epson 7800 with the K3 Ultrachrome inks. Print size would be about 12x18 optically centered on a sheet of paper .

The originals are Kodachromes from the early to late 50's . I would love to hear any thoughts about cut sheet paper that would work well with the original chromes and the inks of the Epson.
I would be open to any suggestions, I have worked with Arches Arquelle and Platine in cut sheet and will test these with this project ( these papers are not specifically made for inkjet and suck a lot of ink and require a lot of contrast control to make them work , but I think maybe I should also be open to some of the finer cut sheet papers that some of you are using that are dedicated for inkjet printers.

Do any of you remember the difference in look of Kodak colour paper and Agfa from the early 70's , a much more pastel look with Agfa compared to the Kodak.
I think this era in colour , had a feel that I am not seeing with current papers.
Just saw a Fred Herzog show here in Toronto ,the work was from the same era, different Continent but it had this 60's colour feel that I found quite compelling.

Any suggestions on some specific papers, ???

[Gem Singer]

Epson Exhibition Fiber paper + Epson Ultra-Chrome K-3 inks = combination that's hard to beat.

[bob carnie]

What is the surface like Gem?

Epson Exhibition Fiber paper + Epson Ultra-Chrome K-3 inks = combination that's hard to beat.

[BarryS]

For a fine art (100% cotton rag, matte surface) paper, I love Moab Entrada Natural.

[Jim Bradley]

Canson's Platine Fiber Rag is getting a lot of good ink (pun intended)

http://wyofoto.com/Canson_Platine_review.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/the_paper_that_almost_got_away.shtml

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/02/winter-print-offer.html

I had trouble finiding it stock the last time I ordered paper so I went with the Canson Bartya which I'm liking on my HP Z3100.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com./reviews/printers/tale.shtml

Jim

[bob carnie]

Thanks Jim
I was hoping someone would mention the Canson line as my main supplier of paper here in Toronto can get it for me easily.



Canson's Platine Fiber Rag is getting a lot of good ink (pun intended)

http://wyofoto.com/Canson_Platine_review.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/the_paper_that_almost_got_away.shtml

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/02/winter-print-offer.html

I had trouble finiding it stock the last time I ordered paper so I went with the Canson Bartya which I'm liking on my HP Z3100.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com./reviews/printers/tale.shtml

Jim

[Gem Singer]

Bob,

Epson Exhibition fiber has a luster surface. Between Glossy and matte. Resembles air dried fiber base photo paper.

Designed to be used with Epson K-3 inks. Try it. You might like it.

[bob carnie]

I am going to give this paper a try along side the Canson.



Bob,

Epson Exhibition fiber has a luster surface. Between Glossy and matte. Resembles air dried fiber base photo paper.

Designed to be used with Epson K-3 inks. Try it. You might like it.

[D. Bryant]

I am going to give this paper a try along side the Canson.

Quoting Mark Dubovoy in his review of the paper on the Luminous Landscape:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/printers/Epson_Exhibition_Fiber.shtml

It is not a pure 100% acid-free rag paper. It comes from wood pulp. How pure or how Lignin free is the Alpha Cellulose? I do not know, and Epson is not sharing this information. I also do not know if there might be other chemical contaminants in the base.

- The paper has OBA’s. I spoke to several people at Epson and all they would say is that the OBA’s will last as long as the best modern OBA’s, but that there are no breakthroughs for them or anyone else in OBA’s. They say that as the OBA’s fade, the prints will look the same as papers without OBA’s, but I have heard that claim before and it turned out to be false. I have no way of knowing if it will be true or false this time.

- The base is so incredibly white and so incredibly brilliant, that frankly I think it is a bit too much. It can look almost blinding. I wish they would tone it down a little.

- The paper is available in a limited number of sizes and only in sheets. The largest sheet available is 24x30 which is too small for many photographers. I cannot understand why Epson would not make this paper in larger sizes and rolls, since it is aimed at the very people that use large sizes and rolls the most.

- Last, but not least, this paper is incredibly expensive. I do not believe there is any way to justify its cost based on R&D, production and marketing/distribution costs alone. This is clearly a marketing decision to push the price envelope as high as possible.

I've tested this paepr when it premeired as well and the paper base looks bluish and un-natural. Ditto for what else Mark said but it does make a pretty print with the Pixel Genius and custom profile.

Don Bryant

[venchka]

For a fine art (100% cotton rag, matte surface) paper, I love Moab Entrada Natural.

So do I. With Kodachrome originals as well. However, I print with Canon 5100 inks.

[mcfactor]

I really like Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bartya. It is a cotton rag paper with a bartya coating and (as far as I know) no OBAs. It has the closest feel to tradition fiber paper and has beautiful, lush color. I agree with D. Bryant about Epson's paper, it has an odd look to it.

[aschris]

i am thinking on how to save ink if i am going to print a tarpaulin size photo for my baby. she's celebrating her 1st birth day. so i need to do a lot of effort in printing by the way my printer is canon with a cli-8y (http://www.inkjetsuperstore.com/canon-CLI-8Y-ink-toner-cartridge-original). hope this will work.

[Jim Andrada]

Hmm. I quite like the Epson Exhibition Fiber. Haven't personally tested the longevity though. I'm sure it will last longer than I will, though!!!!

FYI it DOES come in rolls - there are three of them on the shelf looking at me as I type this. Not sure if it comes wider than 24 inches though.

Edit - I also really like the Hahnemuhle Baryta Fine Art papers

[mitch brown]

hi bob
sorry you didn't make it south.
i use ilford gold fiber silk after trying most of the rest of the papers out there, it works great for me.
mitch

[bob carnie]

Made it as far as Louisville, hoping to get to Atlanta within the next few months.

I tried the Epson Exhibition Fibre and really liked it.
I am also using Fuji Cotton White and Fuji Enhanced Matte and they are very nice.



hi bob
sorry you didn't make it south.
i use ilford gold fiber silk after trying most of the rest of the papers out there, it works great for me.
mitch

[Brian Ellis]

I'm not familiar with the "look" you describe from the '60s, most of the color prints I have from back then have faded and discolored so badly that they are barely recognizable. But FWIW, I've always preferred matte papers for printing on my Epson printers, either Moab Entrada Natural or Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Smooth. But I recently picked up a box of Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster just because it was on sale and I've been surprised at how closely the surface resembles the old darkroom fiber base papers we used to use.

That isn't a look I particularly seek to emulate today but for someone who does I'd suggest giving that paper a try. To me it looks much more like an old darkroom fiber base paper than some of the other papers that claim to have that look such as the Harman AL paper (sorry, can't remember the exact name) that I tried and didn't like because to me the gloss looked more like darkroom RC paper than fiber base.

[bob carnie]

When I first started printing in 73 we used agfa colour paper rather than Kodak.
Funny enough not of those prints lasted either, but I do recall the warmth peachy kind of pallette.
I like the look of colour back then,, probably because the work was either kodachrome, dye transfer, and colour carbro.

[sanking]

Do any of you remember the difference in look of Kodak colour paper and Agfa from the early 70's , a much more pastel look with Agfa compared to the Kodak.
I think this era in colour , had a feel that I am not seeing with current papers.
Just saw a Fred Herzog show here in Toronto ,the work was from the same era, different Continent but it had this 60's colour feel that I found quite compelling.

Any suggestions on some specific papers, ???

What are you after? The vintage shift in tones to yellow/orange, or just the pastel look caused by excessive fading?

Sandy

[bob carnie]

I would just be happy to be in my 20's again.

Did you see the Fred Herzog show when you were here with APPS? not sure if you and Sam got to see it, I think he did, those inkjet prints were pretty beautiful .
Something that works really well with kodachrome is what I am after.


What are you after? The vintage shift in tones to yellow/orange, or just the pastel look caused by excessive fading?

Sandy

[sanking]

I would just be happy to be in my 20's again.

Did you see the Fred Herzog show when you were here with APPS? not sure if you and Sam got to see it, I think he did, those inkjet prints were pretty beautiful .
Something that works really well with kodachrome is what I am after.

I did not see the Fred Herzog show at APPS. But for what it is worth, I really love nice color inkjet pigment prints on rag papers. Wish I could have printed that way back in the 1980s when I made all these color C prints that are now shot to hell!!

Sandy

[bob carnie]

I'm hearing you ,
Happy holidays to you and Sam from Laura , Barney, Lucy and I.

I did not see the Fred Herzog show at APPS. But for what it is worth, I really love nice color inkjet pigment prints on rag papers. Wish I could have printed that way back in the 1980s when I made all these color C prints that are now shot to hell!!

Sandy

[Tom Monego]

Ilford Gold Fiber Silk is super with Canon inks, I used the Ilford profile with my Canon iPF 5000, just beautiful prints. Color tonality is great. Less of a white base than Epson Exhibition.
Not sure how white the base was on the '70s prints. Seem to remember it was rather it wasn't near the white of the b&w prints of the day. That was my b&w, gum and platinum print era. So I didn't do much color.
Everybody have happy holidays.

Tom

[ignatiusjk]

I've been using Epson K3 ink in my Epson 3800 with Ilford Gold Fiber Silk paper and have had excellent results especially in B&W's.