Paper Options

[smith]

I have been working on a long-term scrapbook project that will probably end up being very large when it is finished. I use regular copy paper for my draft pages, but what paper produces the best results for a bound scrapbook?
Do I use card stock, high-gloss photo paper, semi-gloss photo paper or what?
I am using 8.5x11 paper as my printer will print borderless, but no larger than that. Also, I will probably print the pages myself and bind them in a spiral book as I have the machine that can make a spiral book.
Thanks,
smith

[susangreen]

I think your paper choice depends a lot on what printer you have. I do a great deal of scrapbooking and I have an Epson printer and I use their Heavyweight Mat paper and it works very well. However, I put my projects in scrapbooks that have page protectors. You might want to use this method as it does protect the pages from smudges and fingerprints. You can get some very nice scrapbooks that have the page protectors right in them. Hope you will post some of your pages.

[smith]

I think your paper choice depends a lot on what printer you have. I do a great deal of scrapbooking and I have an Epson printer and I use their Heavyweight Mat paper and it works very well. However, I put my projects in scrapbooks that have page protectors. You might want to use this method as it does protect the pages from smudges and fingerprints. You can get some very nice scrapbooks that have the page protectors right in them. Hope you will post some of your pages.

How do your actual photos look on the heavyweight mat paper? I thought you had to use photo paper to get the best looking photos. Thanks for your response.
smith

[huntress]

I cannot say I have much experience with this. I've been printing my own on photo paper (I believe it is a semi-glossy). Whether you use mat, glossy or any other photo paper is up to your personal preference. Some people prefer mat because it doesn't show finger prints but others don't like the texture. Prints usually seem clearer on glossy but then they also show marks and reflective glare more. I also have my in a top loading book (built in page protectors). The papers are formulated to go with the inks so you usually get the best results with using the papers and inks designed for your printer. Anything else is trial and error. Also some third party inks can damage your print heads.

I was looking at investing in a large format printer but I cannot afford it now (washer and dryer broke etc...). People posted sites where they print on paper or card stock. My HP photo printer doesn't do well on paper but my guess is a professional machine would. For the cost of the ink and 12 x 12 paper for the epson, these on-line places are much more reasonably priced (cheaper than printing your own) so if the quality is good, it may be a better option than buying my own printer. I'm hoping someone will enlighten us on their impressions of these places. With two of us in college next year, it may be a very long time before I can afford a new more versitile printer.

[triciadoll]

I have an Epson Printer and I use Epson's Heavyweight Matte Photo Paper for all my layouts. My layouts turn out lovely!

[LeeOtsubo]

...what paper produces the best results for a bound scrapbook?
You can use virtually any paper you like as long as it is specifically formulated for inkjet printers. I'm assuming that such a large project has taken a long time and is very precious. If so, you may want to look at double-sided fine art papers from suppliers like Moab Paper (http://www.moabpaper.com) or Mediastreet (http://www.mediastreet.com).

Of course, your printer make & model is also very important. Currently, for archival quality prints, Epson UltraChrome pigment ink has the longest life but the least expensive Epson UltraChrome printer is the R800, ~US$380. Another solution is to use 3rd party pigment inks like those from Mediastreet. I'm currently testing Mediastreet G6PK (Generations 6 with Photo Black) in an Epson R200 (~US$100). It compares very well against the same images printed on an Epson R1800 (~US$500) with UltraChrome ink. The tests were printed on Mediastreet Royal Tuscany fine art paper which, at 309 gsm, is about triple the thickness of regular photos.

Because I conduct so many digital photography Workshops (10,000 students in 1995), Mediastreet offers my students a 10% discount. Use the discount code "TDPG" on their site and try some of their pigment inks and/or paper. I also like Moab Entrada but they don't offer a discount. BTW, I have no financial interest in any of these companies.

Most other printers use dye based inks which have a life of 2-5 years depending on how the prints are displayed. In your closet, in an album, the prints might last 10 years without fading. In the open, under the Saharan sun, it might be 90 days. :D Hope that helps.

BTW, unless you use some really cheap junk, there's not much chance that a 3rd party ink will damage your printer.

Lee Otsubo
www.thedigitalphotoguy.com

[pixlbandit]

I buy a beautiful 100% cotton photo rag, very, very slightly cream-colored and buffered, from Ink Jet Art in Salt Lake City . Good prices and fast delivery, esp. from there to the western US. Prints on the paper remind me of high quality children's picture books from the 1930s and 1940s--doesn't look at all like a dye-sub snapshot print, but a piece of art. The paper doesn't seem to shed or flake like some art papers for ink jet printing. It is about a 60# paper--or the equivalent of heavy matte papers, which will go through printers that don't usually handle "fine art" papers. I know good-paper lust--you've just got to touch it with your fingers and let your eyes caress it. Can you tell I used to be a watercolorist?

Oh, yes. It is double-sided so that you can print on both the front and the back for books.

Direct link to the page with the paper I referred to.
http://www.inkjetart.com/wc/museum/index.html

Vicki