recommendations? cheap reasonably good gloss or semi-gloss inkjet paper

Bob Michaels

Bob Michaels

nobody special
Local time
2:57 PM
Joined
Nov 30, 2004
Messages
4,541
While 99% of my prints, both proof and exhibition, are b&w on matte paper, I do have the occasional need to print color for family and friends happy snaps. Color seems to work best on gloss or semi-gloss to my eye. I was happy with Ilford Gallerie Smooth Gloss since it was good enough for this purpose and was around $20 for a 100 sheet box of 8 1/2 x 11 at Sam's or WalMart. But this price appears to be a thing of the past. I see the same paper still available but at 3X or 4X that price.

I am looking for recommendations for a cheap, reasonably good gloss or semi-gloss (lustre) 8 1/2 x 11 paper. I know about good paper but not cheap reasonably good paper.
 
The biggest problem with papers is either a) finding one that has a profile available from the manufacturer, or b) profiling your printer/paper on your own. Most papers are "good enough" these days; the profiles are the key though.

And what the hell... What happened to old school 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 papers? Why is everything LTR now?
 
Bob Michaels said:
While 99% of my prints, both proof and exhibition, are b&w on matte paper, I do have the occasional need to print color for family and friends happy snaps. Color seems to work best on gloss or semi-gloss to my eye. I was happy with Ilford Gallerie Smooth Gloss since it was good enough for this purpose and was around $20 for a 100 sheet box of 8 1/2 x 11 at Sam's or WalMart. But this price appears to be a thing of the past. I see the same paper still available but at 3X or 4X that price.

I am looking for recommendations for a cheap, reasonably good gloss or semi-gloss (lustre) 8 1/2 x 11 paper. I know about good paper but not cheap reasonably good paper.
Click to expand...

I have done a bit of printing on Epson Exhibition Fiber using the R2400. It's appearance reminds me for all the world of a double-weight Kodak Kodabromide F paper dried without ferrotyping. Deep blacks, a lot of depth, and a stiff, heavyweight feel. A box of 25 sheets in 8.5x11 inch size runs about $20 at atlex.com, or about $0.80 per sheet.

Epson Premium Glossy at the same size packaged into boxes of 50 sheets is a lot lighter in weight, doesn't have the depth or tonal range, but costs about half that per sheet.

G
 
"to print color for family and friends happy snaps"

For what it is worth I have been using Kirkland Professional Glossy Inkjet paper from Costco for proofing and "snaps". In the UK this is around £15.00 for a box of 150 A4 sheets. I guess the same product is available in all Costco outlets worldwide.

I have found it to be a great replacement for Ilford Crystaljet. I have created a custon ICC Profile which works well for colour (Epson R2400 using Permajet Eco Flow system). Mono prints using Quadtone RIP look pretty good also.

Hope this helps
 
I would second the recommendation for the Kirkland (Costco) paper. For what it sounds like you want it for, it is more than satisfactory. They usually have 4x6 & 8.5x11 in the store, with other sizes online. Can't beat it for price per sheet. I'm using it with an Epson 3880, for which a profile exists.
 
Huh? You can't get Ilford printer paper any more? My printer started acting up and I haven't replaced it yet. In the meantime, Ilford inkjet paper went away? That was my good paper.
 
Thanks everyone. I think I will try a box of the Costco house brand paper. As I said, low price is an important factor since this is for my non important work in color. Also, the Red River low end offering seems interesting because of the price.

Godfrey: I settled on Hawk Mountain Condor Brite White for b&w exhibition prints about 6-7 years ago. I have a few hundred sheets of 13x19 that should last me for a while. And I standardized on using Epson Enhanced Matte (now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte) for a b&w proofing paper about 12 years ago. It would take a very compelling reason for me to change either of those.

I have become reasonably adept at color profiling over the years.

It seems that Ilford Switzerland (not to be confused with Ilford UK that makes film) found a partner in their reorganization and it still making paper.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Godfrey: I settled on Hawk Mountain Condor Brite White for b&w exhibition prints about 6-7 years ago. I have a few hundred sheets of 13x19 that should last me for a while. And I standardized on using Epson Enhanced Matte (now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte) for a b&w proofing paper about 12 years ago. It would take a very compelling reason for me to change either of those.

I have become reasonably adept at color profiling over the years.
Click to expand...

I looked it up ... sounds interesting. Maybe I'll give it a try one day. What printer are you using? One of these days I'm going to update to either an Epson 3000 or 3880 ... the R2400 can't last forever! ;-)

I mentioned the Epson Exhibition Fiber because I thought you were looking for a gloss to semi-gloss surface for color work. Personally, I dislike the softness that creeps in with pearl and lustre surfaces, I'd rather have flat matte or gloss.

I too have boxes and boxes of Epson Enhanced Matte (aka the next silly name) too. Great cheap paper for proofing, and I've even hung some economy exhibitions with it (have to be careful what you're printing though, it can't take too much ink).

My usual papers are matte surface papers for muted color and B&W work: Epson Fine Art Velvet is ok, Hot Press Natural is very nice. Hahnemühle Bamboo is very soft and warm, just right for some of my photos. I also have some of the Hahnemühle smooth (can't remember the precise name) which I like a lot. There are a couple of others in my printing cabinet, I keep several different papers around for experimentation and buy bulk quantities when I have a project to print. That way it's usually all from the same batch and prints consistently.

You're reminding me I have an order for a dozen prints that I better get rolling on tonight ... !

G
 
Godfrey: I am still using a 2400 because I simply cannot see any print quality difference between that and any of the newer printers. I never print bigger than 10 x 12.5" and have made a total of 2 12x15 prints in 12 years. Both were special requests, one from my wife and the other from a gallery for an exhibit. They are just too big for me once you put them in a frame with a proper sized mat.

I bought my current 2400 as a replacement for an identical older one well after the 2800 came out. I just had too much 2400 ink on the shelf. My original 2400 developed an intermittent USB connection problem where the connection would burp in the middle of a print, thus spoiling a sheet of paper. So one day I made the intermittent problem into a permanent one. It did not do the printer much good but it sure made me feel better that it was not going to frustrate me any more.

I did my last color exhibit in 2005 and it was on matte paper. I have been wanting to do another color series one of these days since I have a digital camera. The one I did in 2005 was shot on 6x7 Fuji Astia. I figured out that every time I tripped the shutter, it cost $1 in film and processing. It was the only time I thought about how much film I was shooting.

The Condor Brite White is similar to Epson Velvet Fine Art or Hanamuhle Photo Rag. HPR was my standard before the Condor Brite White but was so damned expensive. Hawk Mountain was the US distributor for Condor Brite White but they went out of business. As soon as they announced their inventory liquidation sale, I stocked up.

Remember when Epson Enhanced Matte was originally called Epson Archival Matte? The problem is that it is not quite archival (slightly acidic) so they changed EAM to EEM.

Godfrey said:
I looked it up ... sounds interesting. Maybe I'll give it a try one day. What printer are you using? One of these days I'm going to update to either an Epson 3000 or 3880 ... the R2400 can't last forever! ;-)

I mentioned the Epson Exhibition Fiber because I thought you were looking for a gloss to semi-gloss surface for color work. Personally, I dislike the softness that creeps in with pearl and lustre surfaces, I'd rather have flat matte or gloss.

I too have boxes and boxes of Epson Enhanced Matte (aka the next silly name) too. Great cheap paper for proofing, and I've even hung some economy exhibitions with it (have to be careful what you're printing though, it can't take too much ink).

My usual papers are matte surface papers for muted color and B&W work: Epson Fine Art Velvet is ok, Hot Press Natural is very nice. Hahnemühle Bamboo is very soft and warm, just right for some of my photos. I also have some of the Hahnemühle smooth (can't remember the precise name) which I like a lot. There are a couple of others in my printing cabinet, I keep several different papers around for experimentation and buy bulk quantities when I have a project to print. That way it's usually all from the same batch and prints consistently.

You're reminding me I have an order for a dozen prints that I better get rolling on tonight ... !

G
Click to expand...
 
Kodak Ultra Premium High Gloss is actually pretty good, they have it at Staples, it it's frequently on sale 2:1. Its profile maps to Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (that info is on Kodak's site at http://www.kodak.com/go/printersettings. The Kodak and Canon are not noticeably different papers (the Kodak is a bit heavier, but that's it).

I suspect that most inkjet papers are very similar (most seem to come from Germany). There aren't many paper mills in the world that make it, and for the everyday stuff, I think that people are getting way too wrapped up on rebrands.

Dante
 
Bob Michaels said:
Godfrey: I am still using a 2400 because I simply cannot see any print quality difference between that and any of the newer printers. I never print bigger than 10 x 12.5" and have made a total of 2 12x15 prints in 12 years. Both were special requests, one from my wife and the other from a gallery for an exhibit. They are just too big for me once you put them in a frame with a proper sized mat.

I bought my current 2400 as a replacement for an identical older one well after the 2800 came out. I just had too much 2400 ink on the shelf. My original 2400 developed an intermittent USB connection problem where the connection would burp in the middle of a print, thus spoiling a sheet of paper. So one day I made the intermittent problem into a permanent one. It did not do the printer much good but it sure made me feel better that it was not going to frustrate me any more.

I did my last color exhibit in 2005 and it was on matte paper. I have been wanting to do another color series one of these days since I have a digital camera. The one I did in 2005 was shot on 6x7 Fuji Astia. I figured out that every time I tripped the shutter, it cost $1 in film and processing. It was the only time I thought about how much film I was shooting.

The Condor Brite White is similar to Epson Velvet Fine Art or Hanamuhle Photo Rag. HPR was my standard before the Condor Brite White but was so damned expensive. Hawk Mountain was the US distributor for Condor Brite White but they went out of business. As soon as they announced their inventory liquidation sale, I stocked up.

Remember when Epson Enhanced Matte was originally called Epson Archival Matte? The problem is that it is not quite archival (slightly acidic) so they changed EAM to EEM.
Click to expand...

We have much in common. Like you, I mostly print relatively modest sizes. Lately I've become fond of printing on 13x19" half-page or quarters and cutting afterwards. Somehow, delivering an "odd" size rather than 8.5x11 makes the photos a little more "special". But I do folios on 8.5x11 because I still have a large number of folio covers in stock that I made for that paper format.

I've had this R2400 since October 2005. It's produced somewhere around 8,000-9,000 prints now, which I'm sure is well past its due date. I'm just expecting it to wear out soon. It has become a bit fussy about loading in the past year and some. I'll switch to a 3000 (mostly same as R2400 but bigger ink tanks) or 3880 (larger paper, more options for gang printing) when the R2400 dies.

I used to stock a lot of ink, but my printing is a bit less frenetic now so I have about one spare set of tanks as backup. When the R2400 goes, I'll give them away to someone else still printing with one, just like I received a full set of new cartridges from another guy who had upgraded when his R2400 died.

Yes, the switch from EAM to EEM was interesting. They changed the paper formulation a little too, I think, as the profiles are slightly different. EEM to Premium Presentation Matte was just the name.

G
 
>>My original 2400 developed an intermittent USB connection problem where the connection would burp in the middle of a print, thus spoiling a sheet of paper.<<

I feel your pain. I had that issue too and finally got rid of the 2400 this last spring. That was a very good day. It sounds like my goodbye wasn't as fun or violent as your ceremony though! I replaced it with a lightly used and long-stored 3800 bought off of craigslist. Knock on wood, no problems so far. Like you said though, the print output quality is pretty much equal in my opinion. I still haven't learned to relax/not stress out when running it. The 2400 deeply embedded a fear of impending malfunction in me any time I power up a printer.

Doug
 
Color prints for family and friends or other snapshots.
I just order from Apple right from my desktop through Aperture or iPhoto.
It's just not worth the hassle of ink/paper and potential failure rate and or maintenance.
I've completely given up on inkjet at home for photos. Still wet print B+W.

Not to advert for Apple ... here are prices.. Consider as well not needing leave the house to order :p
4x6 is $.12 each
5x7....$..49 each
8x10... $1.99
Printed on Fuji Paper. they always match my iMac display and arrive in the mail two days after ordering.
Often I just have them delivered directly to whomever they are printed for.
My mom has the first 8x10 I gave her from 2010 hanging in an area that gets washed by sunlight every day.
Whenever I visit I look for signs of sun damage and warn her to such. So far there is none.
Fair warning is.... They are Not as good for B+W though.... I have only done a couple of them.

Cheers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom