Which Paper for portfolio binder

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

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Guys

I'm having two portfolio leather binders custom made from the UK, I initially thought A2 size but when I look at the physical size of A2 they would just look to big so I am opting for 13 x 19 (A3+ I Think).

 

My question is which sheet paper should I get from the list below. I will have one Portfolio in B&W only and one in Color so I am looking for sheet paper for both B&W & colour.

What would you recommend??

 

 

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[Exodies]

Paper is not really the way to go if you want to impress people. Buy a small herd of pigs and get them tattooed with your pictures.

 

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(Photograph of one of Wim Delvoye's pigs taken in the Mudam, Luxembourg)

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[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Paper is not really the way to go if you want to impress people. Buy a small herd of pigs and get them tattooed with your pictures.

 

Canvas.jpg

 

(Photograph of one of Wim Delvoye's pigs taken in the Mudam, Luxembourg)

 

Probably wouldn't go down very well in Malaysia

[Jeff S]

The paper that best suits your images and preferences.   Paper choice should be part of a disciplined and tested workflow, no different than shooting style,  editing choices, etc.  If you're using an outside agency, then getting samples with your files is critical IMO.

 

Jeff

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

The paper that best suits your images and preferences.   Paper choice should be part of a disciplined and tested workflow, no different than shooting style,  editing choices, etc.  If you're using an outside agency, then getting samples with your files is critical IMO.

 

Jeff

 

Yes Jeff he is going to get me samples.........problem is I am off to Vietnam on Wednesday for a 5 day photo trip and my exhibition is on the 9th and 10th of September and with limited stock on Malaysia I was looking for a bull park recommendation for B&W and Color.

Im not bothered if I have to do it twice but it would be nice to have these portfolios filled with prints on the day of my exhibition............ I know already what your reply will be to that last statement but I would rather show something rather than nothing...........

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Yes Jeff he is going to get me samples.........problem is I am off to Vietnam on Wednesday for a 5 day photo trip and my exhibition is on the 9th and 10th of September and with limited stock on Malaysia I was looking for a bull park recommendation for B&W and Color.

Im not bothered if I have to do it twice but it would be nice to have these portfolios filled with prints on the day of my exhibition............ I know already what your reply will be to that last statement but I would rather show something rather than nothing...........

Reading up on these papers.......yes i read every now and then, the Bright line papers are more of a white while the natural are more of a cream/warm white so seeing that, tells me that Bright would probably be better for B&W and using a natural for color prints.

Anyway I will order;

1 box Cold Press Bright

1 box Hot press Bright

1 box Cold Press Nateral

1 box Hot press Nateral

 

That way I can mix and match as and when I see the need for smooth, rough, white or cream        easy stuff

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

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Good reading

http://www.ronmartblog.com/2011/02/epson-hot-and-cold-press-papers-review.html

[Jeff S]

The late Michael Reichmann weighed in here some years ago...  https://luminous-landscape.com/four-new-fine-art-papers-from-epson-for-2010/

 

Note the comments on brighteners and UV protection.

 

Key concepts.... paper choices are personal....and depends on each image.  Besides aesthetics (especially matte vs gloss/semi-gloss for b/w), there are issues regarding print longevity.  

 

I think it takes many months, if not years, to really get to know a paper (based on my darkroom experience; digital is more convenient, but working habits are hard to change).  No sooner does one learn a paper, then the formula changes.  Much like films.  I tend to stick with a small group that I know.  I particularly like the Canson range, along with Ilford Gold Fibre Silk and a few warmer options.

 

BTW, I second Brian's recommendation regarding ImagePrint RIP.....expensive but terrific software, including superb profiles on virtually all papers, both color and gray scale as well as different lighting condition options.  And always in soft-proof mode, with better implementation than LR.

 

Jeff

Edited August 23, 2016 by Jeff S

[wlaidlaw]

Another vote for the Ilford Prestige Galerie Gold Fibre Silk or Prestige Smooth Pearl. For B&W - Ilford Prestige Gold Mono Silk. These papers seem to work extremely well with the Epson large format printers, as Ilford supply their own profiles for each paper/printer combination. Hahnemuhle Photo Silk Baryta is a very nice feeling paper but I don't think its profiles are quite as accurate for colours as the Ilford profiles on the large format Epson and it is more expensive (I am using mainly a Stylus Pro 3880). The other paper which is extremely good value, if you are printing on Epson, as it is nearly always on special offer, is Epson's own photo papers. They do a wide range of different papers. I find it usually works out at about 60% of the price of Ilford and 50% or less of Hahnemuhle. The Epson papers don't have quite the same premium feel to them that Ilford and Hahnemuhle do. 

 

Unless you want to spend days flattening your prints, I would go for cut sheet rather than roll, albeit roll is cheaper. My daughter's father-in-law who has his own Epson 7880 and 11880 super wide format printers, uses roll exclusively. In his workshop you cannot move for heaps of prints all sitting, interleaved with non stick tissue and with heavy ply boards on top of them then old cast iron heavy weights on top the plywood, flattening out all the prints for his clients. 

 

Wilson

[wlaidlaw]

Neil,

 

I would be very interested to hear how you get on with the Epson P807 (P800 in the UK). I have decided that I can no longer live with the horrible Canon Pixma Pro-1 I have in the UK, as I cannot afford its constant thirst for expensive new ink cartridges and its fussiness over paper feeding. I am delighted with the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 I have in France, which is the predecessor to the P807 and am considering either a new P800 or refurbished 3880 for the UK. 

 

Wilson

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Neil,

 

I would be very interested to hear how you get on with the Epson P807 (P800 in the UK). I have decided that I can no longer live with the horrible Canon Pixma Pro-1 I have in the UK, as I cannot afford its constant thirst for expensive new ink cartridges and its fussiness over paper feeding. I am delighted with the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 I have in France, which is the predecessor to the P807 and am considering either a new P800 or refurbished 3880 for the UK. 

 

Wilson

 

Wilson

Up and till now I am loving it, I have printed a whole bunch of canvas prints and just now have I started replacing ink cabbages............Its very easy to use and the size of it is very compact considering its printing at A2.

Neil 

[Jeff S]

Another vote for the Ilford Prestige Galerie Gold Fibre Silk or Prestige Smooth Pearl. For B&W - Ilford Prestige Gold Mono Silk. These papers seem to work extremely well with the Epson large format printers, as Ilford supply their own profiles for each paper/printer combination. Hahnemuhle Photo Silk Baryta is a very nice feeling paper but I don't think its profiles are quite as accurate for colours as the Ilford profiles on the large format Epson and it is more expensive (I am using mainly a Stylus Pro 3880). The other paper which is extremely good value, if you are printing on Epson, as it is nearly always on special offer, is Epson's own photo papers. They do a wide range of different papers. I find it usually works out at about 60% of the price of Ilford and 50% or less of Hahnemuhle. The Epson papers don't have quite the same premium feel to them that Ilford and Hahnemuhle do. 

 

 

 

You should try Canson.  The Infinity Baryta Photographique is very similar to Ilford Gold Fibre Silk....I prefer the former for b/w....and the Canson is less expensive (in the US).  The Platine offers a similarly nice feel with a warmer base.  The late Michael Reichmann at LuLa wrote years ago about his switch from IGFS to CIBP, comparing favorably to baryta darkroom papers (I agree)....  https://luminous-landscape.com/a-tale-of-two-papers/  

 

As noted above, ImagePrint solves all the profile issues for me.....for ANY paper I want to try.  I switched to IP after upgrading my 3800 to a P800, which is a nicer machine in many respects, including deeper and richer blacks.

 

Jeff

[wlaidlaw]

You should try Canson.  The Infinity Baryta Photographique is very similar to Ilford Gold Fibre Silk....I prefer the former for b/w....and the Canson is less expensive (in the US).  The Platine offers a similarly nice feel with a warmer base.  The late Michael Reichmann at LuLa wrote years ago about his switch from IGFS to CIBP, comparing favorably to baryta darkroom papers (I agree)....  https://luminous-landscape.com/a-tale-of-two-papers/

 

As noted above, ImagePrint solves all the profile issues for me.....for ANY paper I want to try.  I switched to IP after upgrading my 3800 to a P800, which is a nicer machine in many respects, including deeper and richer blacks.

 

Jeff

 

My local paper supplier sold me a big box of 100 sheets of Canson Heavyweight Matt A3+, when they had run out of Ilford. Canson were kind enough to write me a profile for the printer I had at the time (an HP B9180) but I never liked it very much for colour although it was OK for B&W apart from the incurable HP B9180 problem of bronzing. My current (in the UK) Canon Pixma Pro-1 just will not feed the Canson matt at all. The feed rollers just slip on it. In fact the Canon is pretty reluctant to auto-feed anything except gloss although it will feed silk, pearl or lustre paper if you give the paper a manual start through the patten. Next year I will probably take the Canson down to France to use on my Epson 3880, unless I get a 3880 or P800 in the UK over the winter to replace the Canon. 

 

I will see if Park Cameras from whom I bought the horrible Canon, will allow me anything in part exchange for it. 

 

Wilson

[Jeff S]

My local paper supplier sold me a big box of 100 sheets of Canson Heavyweight Matt A3+, when they had run out of Ilford.

Poor comparison to the Baryta Photographique, which I suggested.  It's almost a clone for Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, only better IMO.  It handles and renders superbly.   Like IFGS, it's a semi-gloss paper, which is all I was recommending; matte papers are another story.

 

BTW, the feed mechanism for the P800 is improved over the 3800 (and 3880), particularly the front feed that I have used to minimize issues.  And IP eliminates the need to worry about any print settings, and avoids all the problems with the Adobe/Epson/Apple chain, especially when new iterations arise.

 

Jeff

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jeff S

[wlaidlaw]

Poor comparison to the Baryta Photographique, which I suggested.  It's almost a clone for Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, only better IMO.  It handles and renders superbly.   Like IFGS, it's a semi-gloss paper, which is all I was recommending; matte papers are another story.

 

BTW, the feed mechanism for the P800 is improved over the 3800 (and 3880), particularly the front feed that I have used to minimize issues.  And IP eliminates the need to worry about any print settings, and avoids all the problems with the Adobe/Epson/Apple chain, especially when new iterations arise.

 

Jeff

 

Jeff, 

 

I really only change papers when I have found something new or am dissatisfied with a paper I am using. I rather wish I was going to Photokina this year as you can often pick up new types of paper samples or arrange for these to be sent. That was how 12 years ago, I first came across the Ilford Galerie papers, which at that time were made by Ilford Switzerland. I will try to get to the Photography show at the NEC next March to see if there is some new papers I want to try. 

 

Wilson

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

After reading all of the above, I really need to step up my game and start printing on sample papers as I have just printed my whole exhibition 20 prints with the same Epson Canvas Satin.............

I'm going to call the Epson rep after my operation later today and see if he can get me some samples of the Ilford and Canson papers.

Question

When printing samples what size do you typically print at A2, A4, 5 x 3 ?????

[Jeff S]

Jeff, 

 

I really only change papers when I have found something new or am dissatisfied with a paper I am using. I rather wish I was going to Photokina this year as you can often pick up new types of paper samples or arrange for these to be sent. That was how 12 years ago, I first came across the Ilford Galerie papers, which at that time were made by Ilford Switzerland. I will try to get to the Photography show at the NEC next March to see if there is some new papers I want to try. 

 

Wilson

 

Just trying to give you the benefit of my experience.  I've always been satisfied with the papers I use....that's why I use them.  And I try to stick to only a small group at any one time so that I become very familiar with their PP characteristics and image suitability.  

 

But I try new papers occasionally, especially since the last 5 to 7 years has seen the introduction of some marvelous alternatives.  Some I try but decide not to substitute or add to my repertoire ; others end up being my new go-to paper.  Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique fits the latter type (even though I still use Ilford Gold Fibre Silk for color), as it did for Michael Reichmann and many other printers I respect.  The P800 ink set only made things better.  YMMV.

 

Jeff

[wlaidlaw]

After reading all of the above, I really need to step up my game and start printing on sample papers as I have just printed my whole exhibition 20 prints with the same Epson Canvas Satin.............

I'm going to call the Epson rep after my operation later today and see if he can get me some samples of the Ilford and Canson papers.

Question

When printing samples what size do you typically print at A2, A4, 5 x 3 ?????

 

I find A4 is the best sample size and what most companies normally hand out. Most paper companies are quite generous and will give you a pack of A4 of their papers. I find it it best not to duck and dive too much with papers but to find what you like and stick with it. No matter how good the provided profiles are (and I have found Ilford the best to date), you will always find you want to tweak a bit, brightness, saturation and sharpening. In general with Epson printers, I increase the sharpness, brightness and saturation all by a touch. On the Canon, I need to reduce saturation quite a bit, also contrast but increase brightness. 

 

Wilson

[Jeff S]

 

I'm going to call the Epson rep after my operation later today and see if he can get me some samples of the Ilford and Canson papers.

Question

When printing samples what size do you typically print at A2, A4, 5 x 3 ?????

I think your rep will encourage you to use Epson papers.

 

I make all my work prints on 8.5x11 paper (roughly A4), just as I did in darkroom days, so there is consistency to my viewing habits.  Fine prints, for my own matting and framing, may end up being bigger....or smaller....it depends solely on the image.

 

BTW, I don't get samples....I just buy a box or two....it takes time to learn a paper.

 

Jeff

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jeff S

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[LocalHero1953]

+1 to sticking with a limited number of papers.

I rarely print gloss, so I use Platine Fibre Rag (semi), Rag Photographique (matt) and BFK Rives (art textured), all from Canson. The latter has been renamed recently - I forget what to.

I also use the cheap Epson heavy matt for greetings cards.