Alternative paper needed

To the two suggestions above that I try dye inks in my 3880.....wow, THAT is thinking outside the box.  I never considered that.  It WOULD give me cheaper ink and allow use of the cheaper paper and eliminate the clunky 3000's.

The downside then is only the lack of ink-fastness and the potential loss of the paper from Red River.  I will give that option some thought.

I HAd thought of going to pigment inks in the 3000's.  They ARE available and it has been done.  There is intrinsically nothing different about the print head of a dye printer than a pigment printer, but it seemed risky in terms of gumming my printers up AND still not having a low cost, compatible paper.

E. Dinkla,

Yes, the lamination is on both sides and sealed at the edges.  BTW, placemats are an incredible, underappreciated by photographers, HIGHLY appreciated by the public, useful, utilitarian outlet for one's phpotography.  Talk about your pictures being seen every day!!!!

Your point is, I think, that if the matte backside of the paper laminates, then why wouldn't the front side of a matte paper?  Good observation and thought.  So far, and I gave up on matte papers years ago so something might be different now, I have never found one that laminated well with my machine.  I can only conclude that the emulsion on the printing side has different chemiical properties.  Thanks for the thoughts.

It is hard to imagine that Red River has (and may or may not discontinue) the only inexpensive, glossy, dye-ink paper....or that there is not a reasonably close pigment ink equivalent.  The search goes on.

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Peter Patricelli www.flyfishingfotography.com