Affordable fine art matte inkjet papers?

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I am moving into black and white inkjet printing with the Epson 1400 and MIS carbon inkset, and I'd like to get some fine art matte paper. I was just checking out the Epson site...yowza. I had no idea how expensive the stuff was. Is there an affordable line of inkjet papers out there?

 

[kully]

I'm not sure what the price difference is, but my local printer uses Hahnemuhle (sp?) German Etching, lovely stuff for matte.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Don't even use the words "affordable" and "fine art" the same sentence. Paper is either a) acid and lignan free, cotton, buffered and hand-molded (and worth more than your camera by weight) or b) mass produced, with optical brighteners and anything but neutral in pH so that it will yellow if you breathe on it hard or look at it squinty (and worth 70% of the stuff that will bankrupt you). Someone should tell these guys that their paper does not actually contain a semi-precious metal or need to be produced in massive, dark light-tight factories, as they seem to have missed the memo.

For non-archival matte printing, I like Adorama's OEM white 8x10 card-stock. For glossy, I like Costco's Kirkland brand. For archival stuff, look at inkjetmall.com and see what Jon Cone is flogging these days.

Good Luck, despite my rant there are some very nice papers out there. Understanding how they each interact with ink would be a full time job.

Ben Marks

 

[dazedgonebye]

I use Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte for most printing and Premier Art Smooth 205 for a slightly warmer tone.

I buy them from altex.

Not sure if they qualify as economical, but they were not on the high end in any case.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Don't even use the words "affordable" and "fine art" the same sentence.

😀

I'm working on printing a couple of black and white shows...or rather preparing to. But I have to learn how to do it first!

I find that the prices at inksupply.com are actually pretty good, and they have a house matte that is quite cheap, so I may practice on that!

 

[sojournerphoto]

'Fine art matte' I would take to be cotton based (at least in part) and acid/lignin free. Ideally, you'll also be free of optical brighteners.

My favourites:

Hahnemuhle PhotoRag Bright White, not cheap, not much brighter but very very nice. Great coating

Fotospeed High White Smooth 315gsm (also sold as Innova and various other names for more money) - less expsnive and nearly as good. A bit warmer in colour.

Other hahnemuhle papers worth considering include photorag, german etching etc etc. Think about the amount of texture they display.

I'm less keen on the Hahne Natural Art duo.

For 'gloss' I use Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, great paper, and like but can't afford hanhemuhle baryta whatever. I don't like the Harman myself - I find it too blue and crispy.

Mike

 

[robklurfield]

Try these folks. They have huge selection. I haven't bought anything in a long time, but when I last ordered from them, I found their prices to be fair. I also found their information (why one paper vs another for particular printer or application) to be very valuable.

http://www.inkjetart.com/cart/media-papers-c-1_6.html

 

[KEH]

I am using an HP B9180 these days and learning to like it a lot.

A very affordable and very good fibre based paper is Moab Kayenta ($0.38 or so per letter-sized sheet). And for cotton fibre I like the Innova Smooth Cotton BW (about $0.80 per letter-sized sheet). These are affordable and excellent on the HP.

I remember liking the Innova paper with the Cone inkset on my old Epsons, but there was just one head clog too many one day, and I took the printer out and shot it.

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[Bob Michaels]

Papers, like film and developers is certainly a personal choice. And, the decisions are not always based totally on logic.

I have several matte exhibit papers I really like. Some are pricey. One stands out as good print quality vs. cost. That is the Premier Smooth Fine Art 270 g. paper. It prints very well, is non-acidic and has no optical brighteners (i.e. is archival). $16.65 for a 25 sheet 8.5x11 box at Atlex. I did print my last exhibit on this but larger paper of course.

I do all my proofing and short term printing on Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Matte. It was previously known as Epson Enhanced Matte and originally known as Epson Archival Matte but Epson was taken to task because it is not archival. It tests acidic with my pen. And it has a propensity to yellow in certain environments. However it does make great prints and is priced right. $11.42 for a 50 sheet box of 8.5x11 at Atlex.

I will also put in a plug for Hawk Mountain papers. They are a small personal service outfit. You can just call on the phone and ask for suggestions. They distribute some very good papers under their name at reasonable prices.

Remember that the processes of making the base paper and the coating of the paper are sometimes done by different companies. The same for cutting the master rolls to size and packaging. Then someone else's name may end up on the box.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Thanks to everyone, esp. Bob, who has advised me constantly throughout my whole printing odyssey. It's a huge pleasure to get to make my own prints, and I've been able to do it quite cheaply so far.

I'll get a few of the cheaper options and try 'em out...

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Well, my college bookstore had Epson Premium Presentation Matte...I may ask them to start stocking the Ultra. This is good news, I can put it on my research account. ;-) Let the experimenting begin...and I will get the good stuff when I'm ready to print my shows...