I have a Epson R800 and have been using the Epson inks for it all along. I have also started with the Epson Premium Glossy Paper but started to experiment with others. I would like to know if anyone has found a superior quality paper and inks that might be a couple bucks less. Pershps someone has found a source for the good stuff at a cheaper price. I know about B & H. I was thinking of using some of these off brand inks but CERTAINLY don't want to ruin my printer.
Lastly, has anyone used the National Geographic papers? I hear they are high quality as well.
Can we take a poll too, who uses glossy and who uses matte paper? I have always printed with glossy but recently had an image developed by a "pro" into a larger print but he swears by a flat finish paper.
Thanks
Posted by Bill Chambers on October 18, 2006 at 1:53 PM
I agree the price of ink is a burden, but I still use genuine Epson ink. I do buy it from Atlex.com. They have the cheapest prices I've found and excellent service.
As for paper, I use Moab Entrada and have been very pleased so far. It's a matte finish, which I greatly prefer over glossy, but that's just personal preference. Haven't tried NG paper, but would be interested in hearing about it if someone else has.
Posted by Mitch Erwin on October 18, 2006 at 2:43 PM
I had the same question about the inks several months ago and posted it on here. I too went with the geniune Epson inks as Bill, Guy and others had suggested. Also took Bill's advice and ordered from Altex after looking around. They seem to be the cheapest retail on the web and they shipped super quick. Also, you might check on Ebay for Genuine Inks there.
As for the paper, matte is the way to go to showcase your captures! Epson makes great quality mattes as well, you can never seem to go wrong with any of them. Unfortunately I have never used any NG papers although I see they are sold at many of the office product retail stores.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on October 18, 2006 at 5:15 PM
I have the R1800, so we run the same inks and their appearance on papers should be faily similar. I certainly haven't tried everything out there, but I've tried a few papers.
Kodak Matte - OK, but not great - good for general snapshots.
Kodak Premium Glossy - Not good, would not recommend. Just seems very plastic and doesn't work as well with epson as other papers.
Epson Premium Luster - Pretty good. Gloss optimizer looks good on this paper, but the cyan tends to bronze a bit.
Ilford Smooth Pearl - Less glossy than the Epson Premium Luster. I think its a better paper, but Ilford only states a 30 year archival rating.
Epson Premium Glossy - looks nice.
Epson Heavyweight Matte - my favorite for something that I'll frame. It gets rid of the double reflections and shows good saturation for color prints.
I print on semi-gloss, matte and gloss. It just depends on the application. Gloss for snapshots. Semi-gloss for prints that may be handled and aren't under glass. Matte for prints to be framed.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on October 18, 2006 at 5:16 PM
Oh and on the ink thing. I've heard that the Pantone inks are a very good quality replacement for Epson, but I don't think they have an inkset available for our printers. They did not the last time I looked, and ink is not killing me right now.
Other than that, I'd also stay away from 3rd party inks.
I tend to experiment with different image types on the above different papers.Not yet decided which papers work best with which subject types.
Like using them all equally really,love the finish of the Semi Gloss and Smooth pearl papers.
Not tried framing a Matt paper print yet,but the lack of a reflective surface sounds ideally suited for this purpose.
Here in the UK the Heavyweight Matt paper is a lot cheaper than Epson's Gloss or Semi Gloss.
The Ilford papers are superb,and IMHO are every bit as good as the Epson equivelents,they are also a fraction of the price,especially for A3 and A3+ sizes.
The free generic Ilford icc profiles are excellent too.
I also have the R800. I use Epson ink purchased from Atlex. I have been using Red River Paper. I'm quite happy with the quality and service. I had them custom cut some 8.5x12.5 for me to print "full frame" with the R800. I print mostly on their UltraPro Satin.
Thanks for the tip on Atlex. I've never used them and they have a wider paper product range than Databazaar which is the online merchant I've been using. I compared an order of paper and ink between Atlex and Databazaar and found Databazaar cheaper, especially on orders over $50.00. DB may charge slightly more per item but offers free shipping on all items and frequently sends an email with a 5% discount or offers it at checkout on orders over $50. So net net for the average order of Epson paper and ink, I found DB cheaper. I recently rec'd paper delivered two days after order and ink 4 business days after order. They do charge a fee for restocking if there's a return. Don't know about Atlex policy. Just FYI.
Epson original inks and Moab Entrada Nat for my R1800
Posted by Sean Bolton on October 19, 2006 at 4:48 PM
Hi Donald
In my Epson R1800 I use ;
Epson Photo Glossy Premium
Epson Archival Matte or Heavyweight Matte
Ilford Gallierie Smooth Pearl
Crane Museo Cotton Art Paper
Somerset Velvet Art Paper
The Ilford papers are excellent and cheaper than the Epson equivalent. I like the Smooth Pearl for the Satin finish.
For bigger prints to mount behind glass I use either the Epson Archival Matte or for a nicer textured finish the Crane Museo or Somerset Art paper. The Somerset art paper comes in several finishes and the textured finish has a nice watercolour paper feel to it. Very nice if the print is to be mounted but not covered in glass.
Discussion
9 repliesLastly, has anyone used the National Geographic papers? I hear they are high quality as well.
Can we take a poll too, who uses glossy and who uses matte paper? I have always printed with glossy but recently had an image developed by a "pro" into a larger print but he swears by a flat finish paper.
Thanks
As for paper, I use Moab Entrada and have been very pleased so far. It's a matte finish, which I greatly prefer over glossy, but that's just personal preference. Haven't tried NG paper, but would be interested in hearing about it if someone else has.
As for the paper, matte is the way to go to showcase your captures! Epson makes great quality mattes as well, you can never seem to go wrong with any of them. Unfortunately I have never used any NG papers although I see they are sold at many of the office product retail stores.
Kodak Matte - OK, but not great - good for general snapshots.
Kodak Premium Glossy - Not good, would not recommend. Just seems very plastic and doesn't work as well with epson as other papers.
Epson Premium Luster - Pretty good. Gloss optimizer looks good on this paper, but the cyan tends to bronze a bit.
Ilford Smooth Pearl - Less glossy than the Epson Premium Luster. I think its a better paper, but Ilford only states a 30 year archival rating.
Epson Premium Glossy - looks nice.
Epson Heavyweight Matte - my favorite for something that I'll frame. It gets rid of the double reflections and shows good saturation for color prints.
I print on semi-gloss, matte and gloss. It just depends on the application. Gloss for snapshots. Semi-gloss for prints that may be handled and aren't under glass. Matte for prints to be framed.
Other than that, I'd also stay away from 3rd party inks.
Papers used are:
Epson Premium Glossy
Epson Premium Semi Gloss
Epson Heavyweight Matt
Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss
Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl.
I tend to experiment with different image types on the above different papers.Not yet decided which papers work best with which subject types.
Like using them all equally really,love the finish of the Semi Gloss and Smooth pearl papers.
Not tried framing a Matt paper print yet,but the lack of a reflective surface sounds ideally suited for this purpose.
Here in the UK the Heavyweight Matt paper is a lot cheaper than Epson's Gloss or Semi Gloss.
The Ilford papers are superb,and IMHO are every bit as good as the Epson equivelents,they are also a fraction of the price,especially for A3 and A3+ sizes.
The free generic Ilford icc profiles are excellent too.
Pete D.
In my Epson R1800 I use ;
Epson Photo Glossy Premium
Epson Archival Matte or Heavyweight Matte
Ilford Gallierie Smooth Pearl
Crane Museo Cotton Art Paper
Somerset Velvet Art Paper
The Ilford papers are excellent and cheaper than the Epson equivalent. I like the Smooth Pearl for the Satin finish.
For bigger prints to mount behind glass I use either the Epson Archival Matte or for a nicer textured finish the Crane Museo or Somerset Art paper. The Somerset art paper comes in several finishes and the textured finish has a nice watercolour paper feel to it. Very nice if the print is to be mounted but not covered in glass.
cheers
Sean