[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Papers & Media

on: December 15, 2022 at 7:06 am

I recently upgrade to an Epson SC-900 printer.  I am looking for suggestions on papers that I might try.  I have used Baryta paper for my B&W images from a few different brands but have never used a matte paper before. I am considering a matte surface to soft gloss for my color work and have seen some images on Fotospeed  NST Bright White paper that looked good. Fotospeed in not available in the U.S. as far as I can tell.  Is there a paper of another brand that is close to the Fotospeed NST that can be recommended?  Also has anyone use Red River papers and done a review of them? Thanks, John

[Rand Scott Adams]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #1 on: December 15, 2022 at 9:25 am

Take a look at Canson’s Arches 88 paper and their BFK Rives Pure White.  Pretty great papers to my way of thinking.  VERY white and good Dmax for matte papers, especially the Arches 88.  The Arches 88 is a very smooth paper with no texture at all, and the BFK Rives is a textured paper with a pronounced but not “large” texture.

Rand

Rand Scott Adams Rand47

• This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by Rand Scott Adams.

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 783]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #2 on: December 15, 2022 at 10:12 am

You can comb through the numerous reviews I have written both here and previously on LULA of various papers that would suit your requirements. If you are living in North America, you can’t do better right now than Epson Legacy Fibre. It’s gorgeous paper (very similar to Canon Fine Art Smooth) and now available until the end of this month (i.e. the next two weeks) on one of those famous Epson specials – that can’t be beat – where you get three boxes or rolls for the price of two if you buy three at a time.

Mark D Segal Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8, SilverFast HDR, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop". Please check the PhotoPXL Store for availability.

[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #3 on: December 15, 2022 at 8:15 pm

Thanks for the information. I will do some research on the matte papers suggested.  As far as I can tell the Epson sale on Legacy Fiber must be off now.

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 783]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #4 on: December 15, 2022 at 9:14 pm

Legacy Media Rebate is available in both Canada and the USA till the end of this month:

https://epson.com/estore-rebate:

Legacy Media

Rebate

Purchase a combination of any 3 qualifying Epson Legacy and Signature Worthy Media to get a rebate for the cost of the least expensive product purchased (before taxes) back by mail.

Product must be purchased between 9/1/22 and 12/31/22.
Claims must be submitted postmarked within 30 days from the purchase date.

 

Mark D Segal Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8, SilverFast HDR, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop". Please check the PhotoPXL Store for availability.

[Bart Hovis]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #5 on: December 19, 2022 at 1:27 pm

I have the same printer and primarily use matt papers.  As Mr. Adams mentioned, Arches 88 is a great paper, as well as Arches BFK Rives when some texture is desirable.  You asked about Red River, and there are a few I use: I find Aurora White to be unique in the way it accurately renders the subtleties of blue and green hues – I discovered that when I tried it on some architecture photos of a mid-century modern building that had details of pastel blue and green hues (very 1950s), those hues printed beautifully (and accurately) on Aurora White, and for this project I found it preferable to all other papers I tried.  It does have some OBA content (which doesn’t bother me).  I also like Red River Palo Duro Smooth Rag and Palo Duro Etching matt papers which I find comparable to the Arches.

• This reply was modified 5 months, 2 weeks ago by Bart Hovis.

[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #6 on: December 19, 2022 at 8:49 pm

I am ordering sample packs from suggested paper companies.  Thanks for your thoughts about the Red River papers. I will try some and see what works for my images. Thanks . John

[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #7 on: April 19, 2023 at 8:42 pm

I have been testing various matte surface papers. I love the Epson Fibre for color with it smooth surface. I also like the Canson Infinity Arches BFK Rives Pure White with its slight texture for some of my black and white images. My question is, what Epson paper would be a close match to the Canson BFK Pure White? The reason I am asking is Epson has a sale going on where you buy three boxes for the price of two. I plan on buying Epson Fibre, Platine, and another matte surface that is close to the Canson Pure White. Thanks for your help. John

[Mark D Segal]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #8 on: April 19, 2023 at 8:52 pm

Here is a link to my article covering the Canson BFK Pure White: https://photopxl.com/four-new-canson-infinity-arches-papers/
Epson Legacy Etching would be the closest match in the Epson Legacy product line.

I also reviewed Epson Legacy Etching, but that was posted on Luminous-Landscale before PhotoPXL existed, so you may find it there if you wish to see it.

Mark D Segal Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8, SilverFast HDR, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop". Please check the PhotoPXL Store for availability.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Mark D Segal.

[Kevin Raber Silver Member Posts: 1163]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #9 on: April 19, 2023 at 10:02 pm

I am now a solid Epson Fiber guy. Any prints being printed for display go on Fiber. It’s an exceptional matte paper and I can frame my images without glass. In my print workshops we print on a variety of surfaces to show attendees about paper surfaces. We are now working with Red River, Hahnmulle, Canson, and Epson papers. My recommendation is that a photographer choose 2-3 surfaces at most to make prints on. There are way too many papers and surfaces and that gets a bit overwhelming. Most company’s papers are sourced from one of maybe 3 main sources so many of the surfaces are pretty close if not identical. I am intrigued by Canson Baryta II Matte.

My main papers are Epson Fiber, Baryta and Platine. I use the Epson Premuim Luster for hard proofing. 90% of my work is printed through Imageprint.

After next week things will be slowing down a bit. I have an article about how framing is done coming up as well as how to make 44×52 inch prints from iPhone files. As part of the workshop we visit a local craft framer and one lucky attendee of the workshop gets to have their image mounted as if was going on display at an exhibit. It’s very cool to see the work that goes into making a quality frame.

Kevin Raber
Publisher, photoPXL

[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #10 on: April 21, 2023 at 5:59 pm

Thanks Mark for your reply. You give some very useful information in your article. A lot to digest. I really like the Canson Arches BKF Pure White better than the Epson Etching paper. The difference may be small but it is good to have plenty of choices in the market place. Thanks again. John Doddato

[John Doddato Participant Posts: 9]

Re: Looking for suggestions of print papers

Reply #11 on: April 21, 2023 at 6:03 pm

Kevin,
Thanks for your input on choosing matte papers. It is certainly helpful. I think I will go with the Canson Arches BFK Pure White for the slight texture that fits a current project I am currently working on. I would be interested in learning more about glassless framing of matte prints. Always enjoy your Youtube videos. John Doddato

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