Best Epson proofing paper for Leica M8 Photos

[eleskin]

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I just bought an Epson 3800 for my M8 and intend to use the Epson Exhibition Fiber Glossy Paper for my larger photos. I want to know what is a really good low cost Epson paper that will be excellent for proofing (that will give me a good idea as to what the print will look like, but not break my budget) and for giving prints to friends and family? I am thinking the Epson Premium photo paper glossy. What do all of you recomend?

[scaryink]

I just bought an Epson 3800 for my M8 and intend to use the Epson Exhibition Fiber Glossy Paper for my larger photos. I want to know what is a really good low cost Epson paper that will be excellent for proofing (that will give me a good idea as to what the print will look like, but not break my budget) and for giving prints to friends and family? I am thinking the Epson Premium photo paper glossy. What do all of you recomend?

 

Are you only interested in Epson papers? I have found the luminous landscape to be a good resource for discussions of paper. The camera type is not as important as what look you are going for.

 

I have had some good success with the Kayenta paper but generally prefer a matte look for inkjet.

 

For glossy I prefer the look of the chromira led printers with both the fuji crystal archive and I lOVE the Kodak Endura photo paper. Try VIP photo lab or west coast imaging for reasonable pricing. Its easy enough to send via ftp.

 

VIP appears to be quite reasonable. I just sent a digital painting to be printed on the chromira. A 30"x20" is less than $ 20!! on fuji glossy archive. Now thats a deal my friend. Ill let you know how it looks.

[buckhorn_cortez]

I just bought an Epson 3800 for my M8 and intend to use the Epson Exhibition Fiber Glossy Paper for my larger photos. I want to know what is a really good low cost Epson paper that will be excellent for proofing (that will give me a good idea as to what the print will look like, but not break my budget) and for giving prints to friends and family? I am thinking the Epson Premium photo paper glossy. What do all of you recomend?

 

One of the things you need to do is use the correct paper selection (this controls the amount of ink put onto the paper) and a profile for the paper. If you do this, then the color will be rendered accurately on the papers used. However, there is some interaction with the paper color and the image. While the colors are accurate, the paper base color will influence your perception of the image as being "cool" or "warm." There will also be a difference in the dynamic range of the print (that is a combination of the paper and ink set) and the paper's surface.

 

I use Epson Enhanced Matte for proofing as it has a gamut that is as large as any of the matte papers I've tested, is a neutral white paper base, and is relatively inexpensive. For glossy papers, you can proof with it understanding that a glossy paper will have a greater dynamic range and different surface. I do a lot of printing on Museo Silver Rag, and find the EM paper usable as a proofing paper.

[Printmaker]

As someone who prints for a living, I stock Epson Premium Gloss and Epson Premium SemiMatte. I sometimes stock Epson Premium Luster but, as nice as this paper is, it is too easy to scratch and scuff the surface when trimming or mounting. The Epson Premium SemiMatte is a universal paper. Photos on EPSM look great. Posters on EPSM look great and mount and/or laminate with ease. Commercial CMYK "contract proofs" look good and, when made from PDF files, match the results from top quality sheet fed presses.

Personally, I use Illford Gold Fiber Silk to print most of my own photos. When converting my M8 files to warm black and white, I sometimes use Cranes Museo which is a wonderful general purpose rag paper. I've gotten good results from Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. I'm also currently printing a new series of work on Hahnemuhle Sugar Cane. The black and white results look like platinum prints when matte black ink is used. I'm very impressed with this paper.

All in all, my desert island paper would be Illford Gold Silk. It prints well, smells great and looks like an old fashioned dark room print. However, it sucks in big rolls as it is just too stiff for proofing and posters. So I would still need EPSM.

Hope this helps.

 

Tom

 

Kauai's Printmaker

[tollie]

When I want a glossy surface I also use the Exhibition fiber... but for my final prints I go 17 x 22. To proof, I use the smaller 8.5 x 11 EF paper. It enables me to see with no guessing or interpolation what the print is likely to look like when printed full size.

 

So same paper smaller size.

[borowiec]

For an inexpensive proofing paper, for the past five years I've been using Epson Enhanced Matte with great results. It's now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte, but it's the same paper. I use it for contact prints, work prints, and for all steps of proofing except for final proofs, when I switch to Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta, which costs over five times as much as Enhanced Matte. Enhanced Matte isn't particularly archival and will eventually turn somewhat yellow, but with a good printer profile it gives very good, albeit temporary, results. I've even used it to simulate the Hahnemuhle paper, which is counterintuitive because it has a narrower gamut but, in fact, it does do a good job showing colors the way they will look on the more expensive paper.

 

But bear in mind that Enhanced Matte does have a somewhat narrow gamut which is mainly an issue in very dark areas. Nevertheless, using it for proofing has saved me thousands of dollars over the year.

 

Andrew Borowiec