Inkjet Photo Paper Reviews And Comparisos.....

[tomlaronge]

Does anyone know of any reasonably accurate, reasonably objective reviews of readily available photographic printing papers for ink jet printers with the following common surfaces:
1) Glossy?
2) Luster, pearl, satin or similar and not semi-gloss?
There is probably somewhere between a 300% and a 400% difference in price of these various papers depending upon the seller, the paper size and the paper quantity. It sure would be a help to take advantage of quality printing paper at a reasonable price.
Thanks for the feedback,
Tom

[Diana]

Hi Tom,

Most of the consensus of what I've read is to use the same brand photo paper as your printer for the best results.

http://www.amazon.com/Ilford-Galerie-Smooth-Inkjet-1979239/dp/B00006I5C3

However, quite a few people with different brands of printers use and have great results with Ilford, including me. I use their Smooth Pearl Paper. I just love its finish. It's about the same price as my other favorite, HP Premium Plus Soft Gloss (My inkjet's an HP). I, personally, don't care for glossy.

Diana

[tomlaronge]

Diana,
Thank you. I am actually running a test of 4 "luster" surfaces this weekend. These include Epson, Ilford and Red River Paper. I will be anxious to view the results.
Tom

[Diana]

What printer do you have? Let us know the results.

Diana

[rmartin]

I have been happy with HP Advanced glossy. I bought it at Wallyworld.

[JEGavlas]

Maybe I'm not as discerning :confused: about my prints but I have found Costco's brand, Kirkland, professional glossy inkjet photo paper works well with my Epson R320 printer. I have heard from a number of sources that paper from the printer manufacturer is the best. Too bad they don't supply a sample pack with the printer. They might sell more that way.

Joe

BTW I live a mile from Costco (currently the largest in the world) so 99% of my printing occurs there. Definitely cheaper then inkjet.:D

[John L Gray]

Tom,

What kind of printer are you using?

With my Epson R300, R800 & 2200 printers I use Epson and Red River papers.

I really like the Red River papers and the lower cost of the papers are a great benefit. Red River has a great selection of papers and the output I get is equal to Epson paper.

Check out their site; http://www.redriverpaper.com/

I purchase a sample kit of their papers (8"x10") for my printers and really liked the prints I made with their paper. I thinks the price was around $13.00which included postage.

John

[tomlaronge]

Diana and John,
I am using an Epson 3800. Therefore, I urge readers to keep in mind that there are hundreds if not thousands of variables that go into print paper results. I say this mainly because I am using pigment-based inks. I used to use Canon dye-based inks. Frankly, I was satisfied with both results, although these were noticeably different. There are more papers today that will look good using dye-based inks than pigment-based inks, but the latter have far better longevity. So, no matter what I find with this weekend's tests, the results will be highly subjective, nearly impossible to duplicate and applicable only to different images under different observing conditions. I am really doing this out of curiosity and hopes of saving some money while still getting good prints. Epson paper, from my experience is overall excellent, but it is also overall expensive. A few years ago, using Canon printers, I switched from Canon papers to Epson papers and I did save money. I think the pricing has changed nowadays, but COSTCO(Kirkland Glossy), Ilford and Red River are all considerably less money than Epson and some of their paper weights are similar or even a bit heavier.
One comment that may have value for a lot of you to consider, people tend to either like or detest a glossy photo paper surface. Historically, glossy paper looked great for details and highly saturated prints relative to textured surfaces. By the same token, the high degree of reflectivity of glossy papers tends to impair photo detail viewing under many lighting conditions. Semi-gloss surfaces, in general, do not reproduce detail or saturation to the same degree as do glossy surfaces. However, I do find that the newer luster surfaces offer a truly great compromise in viewing benefits, i.e. glare attenuation, without significant losses in detail reproduction or in color saturation. Such papers include, but are not limited to Epson Ultra Premium Luster, Ilford Smooth Pearl and Red River Ultrapro Satin.....in alphabetical order.
John, I agree with you that Red River Papers are excellent. I have limited experience with these over about a three year period, but everytime I use these, I am very satisfied.
Tom

[tomlaronge]

Diana,
As requested, here are the results of the tests that I ran with a professional photographer friend. We each printed one image that each of us took.
We actually printed 10.5 inch X 7iinch images, one horizontal and one vertical on Epson Ultra Premium Luster,
Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl, Red River Polar Arctic Satin and Red River Ultrapro Satin 2.o.
The best tonal range reproduction was in the oreder of best-to-least, Ilford, Epson and then either of the Red River papers.
The smoothest surface without appreciable glare was either of the Red River papers followed by Epson and then Ilford.
I hope this answers the questions as objectively as a subjective human can be. Happy printing.
Tom

[Diana]

Thanks, Tom. Very interesting reading.

Diana

[MikeDCambs]

Tom: where are you situated? If you are UK based, Staples currently have Epson Premium Semi Gloss on a buy-one-get-one free basis. I only ever use Epson papers but never pay full price because they are regularly on offer.
I have tried other papers with my Epson printers (now have an R800) but find that Epson's own give the most reliable results.
Regards - Mike

[tomlaronge]

Mike,
I am in the states and I do not question what you say at all. Epson paper in the states is typically 10% to 20% off list and Epson periodically gives the dealers a margin variation to encourage sales.
As I tried to say, the test was just to compare apparent price differences and performance differences. Obviously, printing varies with the lighting under which the print is used, the type of ink, the nature of the image printed, the no. of dpi and many other factors. The Epson papers are wonderful, but these are not the only wonderful papers.
Tom