best paper for A4 size prints

pwarner500

20 Mar 2013 - 2:55 PM

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Hi folks, just wondering what you would class as a good paper for printing A4 pics, ie Matt....Semi gloss....Gloss etc, also weight wise aswell.
oh yeh for inkjet printer (epson stylus photo R300 and epson stylus SX435W) any help advice would be greatly appreciated
thanks

ikett

2

20 Mar 2013 - 3:41 PM

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Easiest answer, Epson printers, Epson papers, they were made for each other.

justin c (e2 Member)

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20 Mar 2013 - 5:00 PM

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There is no 'best' paper as such. A lot depends on personal preference, the type of image and what you're planning to do with the final print, i.e. left loose, sell it, put it in a portfolio, frame and hang it, etc. etc.
Personally I'm not a fan of glossy papers, preferring a semi-gloss paper for general every day use, such as Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Pearl.
Matt papers can work well also. I like using a matt paper on fairly low contrast type images that don't have an abundance of bright and saturated colours. It works well with misty scenes for instance. I also like using a matt paper if the image is to be framed to keep any reflections to a minimum.
Textured fine art papers are more expensive generally, but again, they can work very well with certain types of images. A light texture to the paper can often further enhance images with a lot of textured detail in them.

Regarding paper weight. I find the heavier weight papers feel a lot better 'in the hand' when viewing prints. It feels slightly more luxurious and gives a feeling of enhanced quality over the lighter weight papers. Certainly not a deal breaker and the papers around 250gsm are absolutely fine for every day use, but for favourite prints, then a heavier weight of 310/320 gsm is a good weight IMO and gives that extra little something to the print.

Most paper manufacturers sell sample packs of various papers to give a good idea of what each paper is capable of. It's worth trying some of those to see what appeals. I find the experimentation with various papers one of the advantages and pleasures of home printing.

redsnappa

10

20 Mar 2013 - 5:53 PM

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Quote: Epson printers, Epson papers, they were made for each other.

That's what the printer manufacturer would like you to believe and you've fell for it.
It does not take too much time and effort to realise that there are many papers on the market that are far superior to the printer makers own brand.

saxon_image

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20 Mar 2013 - 6:47 PM

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I don't print much at home but find 7DayShop 270gsm glossy paper works fine on an Epson R265 on normal Epson glossy settings other then resetting the gamma to 1.8 (printer driver defaults to 2.2). This paper won't give Permajet quality but is perfectly acceptable for general printing.

MrDennis

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20 Mar 2013 - 11:29 PM

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For Portraits buy the Satin or Lustre. I find the Lustre to be better. I use Fotospeed, Epson, 7dayshop, Harman Lite Lustre and find only a suttle difference between them. Choice is personel in the end. But my Preference is for PPD photo paper Satin / Pearl 280g at £19.99 for every day use. Looks and feels and prints the same as the other expensive ones at £35 and above. Mind You, I use a different paper for my Mono Work, though all those mentioned is good.