Photo Paper

Camera Shy · Jun 21, 2002

So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there. After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience with any other type of paper?

Ron Hodgson · Jun 21, 2002

With the Epson ... use Epson paper. The colors are much better that way.

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

--
Ron

http://www.photosig.com/photos.php?photographerId=4906
Pointers please ;-)

Solomon · Jun 21, 2002

Hey Shy:
I agree and have similar results. I have not been impressed with Kodak's paper.
-EL

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Alan Potocki · Jun 21, 2002

Have to agree with the others...typically, a printer manufacturer matches they're printers, papers, and inks so that the best results are obtained using they're brand. I found this especially true with the Canon S-series printers. I have yet to find another photo paper that even comes close to the Canon brand of paper.

Sounds like you've already done some experimenting and somewhat proved the above. The problem with experimenting is that it can kinda get expensive if the result is real bad (buying packs of paper you'll never use!).

Ed Lakin said:
Camera Shy said:

So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Click to expand...

ZipperZ · Jun 21, 2002

The Canon pro papers are nice and much preferred over Kodak or HP.

My fav is the Ilford Gloss and pearls. You wont find a better more professional injet paper. Go ilford...you'll thank me for it. I use it for all my wedding prints. I also use the Epson 820

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

--
cheers
Zip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BFS: been there had that...got the t-shirt
Sticker Status: ON...but on upsidedown
Pie Chute: UnCorked
Lens Cap: No dangle at any angle
128mem stick: lost
Real Name: Michael C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'this fits me to a T'

Cara · Jun 21, 2002

Hi -- I have an Epson 890. After much experimentation, I use the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper when printing those pictures I want glossy (like flowers and stuff). I use Epson ColorLife Photo Paper when I want to print pictures with more of a Matte finish. I guess technically it's a semi-gloss, but it came closest to the old HP Matte I used to use which I loved.

Best,
Cara

LM2 · Jun 21, 2002

I like Pictorico papers, particularly the High Gloss White Film

http://www.pictorico.com
--
Whenever I feel blue......I start breathing again.

Camera Shy · Jun 21, 2002

Thanks for your opinions. I guess cost enters into this a bit. My price for 100 sheets of Kodak was about $25 not including the $5 rebate. It appears that some of those other papers are a bit pricey. (Maybe I'll use the Kodak paper for my REALLY mediocre photos.)

Hey, I think you get what you pay for.

Philly Wood · Jun 21, 2002

I havent personally printed anything. A couple friends have printed digital files I have sent them with differing results depending on the quality of their printer.

The images I do want printed I send to the ONLINE walmart. Do you think the Canon 9000 and the similarly high-end Epson match the quality of the ONLINE walmart (or ofoto) printing process?

Reason I ask is that I intend to take pics at a friend's wedding (I am NOT 'the' photographer at the wedding, just that the extra 200 I take will be a nice addition to whatever the Pro does)

I figure I will edit and print out the good ones as a gift. Cost is not the main factor, but quality.

(though it will be a 400$ outlay for a printer which will only cost me ~$50 for the images at Walmart. Also I figure the cost of the paper and the ink will come close to the cost of the $50 for the online service.

oh why I am on a 20Q task, how do you CUT the pics?
Eg: If you are printing 4x6's

Camera Shy said:
Thanks for your opinions. I guess cost enters into this a bit. My
price for 100 sheets of Kodak was about $25 not including the $5
rebate. It appears that some of those other papers are a bit
pricey. (Maybe I'll use the Kodak paper for my REALLY mediocre
photos.)

--
-photoave
http://phillywood.com Images of the 156 mile First Union US Pro Bike Race

johnrweb · Jun 21, 2002

I was thinking the same way you are. Why buy a printer and spend all that money if you can just send it to Walmart for a good quality print.

The cost of Walmart for a 4x6 is extremely competitive. However, on larger print such as 8x10, having your own printer is a much better deal. I just got a Canon S9000 and am having a great time with it. The picture quality is what I would expect from a regular photo processor. I'm using Epson Photo Paper which costs only $20 for 100 pak at Costco. Anyhow, I'm also getting third party archival ink from weink and I calculated that the ink cost will be about 15 cents per 8x10. Add in the paper and its only 35 cents per print.

Having gone 8x10 (actually 81/2 x 11), I've decided there's no need to print 4x6 anymore. But if you want 4x6 prints, you can buy paper at 4x6 size or you can cut the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet into three 4x6. Use a rotary cutter, available at Costco for less than $30.

If you only print out photo once in a while, don't waste money on a printer. But if you're going to making lots of prints, you might as well buy a good photo printer. Both the S900/90000 or the upcoming Epson 2100 printers are really really nice. The S900/9000 will give you a printout in 90 seconds. The Epson will be much much slower but the printout will be slightly better.

photoave said:
Reason I ask is that I intend to take pics at a friend's wedding (I
am NOT 'the' photographer at the wedding, just that the extra 200 I
take will be a nice addition to whatever the Pro does)
I figure I will edit and print out the good ones as a gift. Cost is
not the main factor, but quality.
(though it will be a 400$ outlay for a printer which will only cost
me ~$50 for the images at Walmart. Also I figure the cost of the
paper and the ink will come close to the cost of the $50 for the
online service.

oh why I am on a 20Q task, how do you CUT the pics?
Eg: If you are printing 4x6's

Camera Shy said:

Thanks for your opinions. I guess cost enters into this a bit. My
price for 100 sheets of Kodak was about $25 not including the $5
rebate. It appears that some of those other papers are a bit
pricey. (Maybe I'll use the Kodak paper for my REALLY mediocre
photos.)

Click to expand...

--
-photoave
http://phillywood.com Images of the 156 mile First Union US Pro
Bike Race

--
John
http://www.pbase.com/johnrweb/

Philly Wood · Jun 21, 2002

Thanx for the thorough answer. Your costs because of the discounted ink is very encouraging. 35c for a 8x10 is downright cheap. Not sure if I want to splurge for a printer but if I do, I will be sure to find one that can work WELL with third party inks such as the one you are using.

Oh as for the cutting of the 8x11.5 into 4x6 files, unfortunately the sizes dont work out evenly. I was thinking that you got a simple clean quantity of FOUR 4x6s assuming that you dont use a border. Is this not the case?
No work around?

Hmmm. What if I dont give my bud $$ for the wedding and give him a really good printer instead? (and he can visit it at my house any time he likes LOL) Maybe promise him a larger poster size pic to sweeten the deal.
This is becoming very tantalizing. Thanx.

johnrweb said:
I was thinking the same way you are. Why buy a printer and spend
all that money if you can just send it to Walmart for a good
quality print.

The cost of Walmart for a 4x6 is extremely competitive. However,
on larger print such as 8x10, having your own printer is a much
better deal. I just got a Canon S9000 and am having a great time
with it. The picture quality is what I would expect from a regular
photo processor. I'm using Epson Photo Paper which costs only $20
for 100 pak at Costco. Anyhow, I'm also getting third party
archival ink from weink and I calculated that the ink cost will be
about 15 cents per 8x10. Add in the paper and its only 35 cents
per print.

Having gone 8x10 (actually 81/2 x 11), I've decided there's no need
to print 4x6 anymore. But if you want 4x6 prints, you can buy
paper at 4x6 size or you can cut the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet into three
4x6. Use a rotary cutter, available at Costco for less than $30.

If you only print out photo once in a while, don't waste money on a
printer. But if you're going to making lots of prints, you might
as well buy a good photo printer. Both the S900/90000 or the
upcoming Epson 2100 printers are really really nice. The S900/9000
will give you a printout in 90 seconds. The Epson will be much
much slower but the printout will be slightly better.

-photoave
http://phillywood.com Images of the 156 mile First Union US Pro Bike Race

Yifeng Hu · Jun 28, 2002

I also have the Epson 820. Where do you find Ilford papers for good price?

ZipperZ said:
Camera Shy said:

So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Click to expand...

--
cheers
Zip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BFS: been there had that...got the t-shirt
Sticker Status: ON...but on upsidedown
Pie Chute: UnCorked
Lens Cap: No dangle at any angle
128mem stick: lost
Real Name: Michael C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'this fits me to a T'

ZipperZ · Jun 28, 2002

Yifeng Hu said:
I also have the Epson 820. Where do you find Ilford papers for
good price?

theres a pro shop near me here in Toronto called Vistek.
http://www.vistek.ca

Ilford papers are a speciality paper and not all business/office/computer stores carry them. Also, because they are a specialty photo paper they dont have the overly expensive specaility pricing.

http://www.vistek.ca/details/srchresults.asp?txtsearch=ilford+printer+paper&imageField.x=5&imageField.y=18
prices are in Canadian dollars
you'll have to search your area pro shop for them.

Yifeng Hu said:
ZipperZ said:

Camera Shy said:

So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Click to expand...

--
cheers
Zip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BFS: been there had that...got the t-shirt
Sticker Status: ON...but on upsidedown
Pie Chute: UnCorked
Lens Cap: No dangle at any angle
128mem stick: lost
Real Name: Michael C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'this fits me to a T'

Click to expand...

--
=====================================
cheers
Zip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BFS: been there had that...got the t-shirt
Sticker Status: ON...but on upsidedown
Pie Chute: UnCorked
Lens Cap: No dangle at any angle
128mem stick: lost
Real Name: Michael C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'this fits me to a T'

Shutter. · Jun 28, 2002

Hey Camera Shy,

I've always used either Kodak or HP premium photo paper plus. The expensive stuff :-( Although they just added an additional 10 sheets for the same price! But its still $30 for 60 sheets. Personally I've never liked the Epson paper much. Not because of the quality but because of the texture. The stuff I've used reminds me of someone scraping their fingers across a chalkboard. I just can't stand to touch it.

Anyway, I haven't noticed a discernable difference between the two brands, although I've never done side by side comparisons using the same photo.

Jim

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

--
Jim Fuglestad
Why simply live and let live? Live and help live.
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/galleries

Wes69632 · Jun 28, 2002

I have an HP Photosmart printer (P1100) and have tried Epson, HP and various Kodak papers. My preference is the Kodak Ultima Picture Paper
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/digital/inkjet/picture/ultima.jhtml

One of my criteria is the longevity (without fading) of this paper (check here for more info on this topic http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ )

I have also tried the Kodak glossy premium Picture paper and it's not nearly as good as the Ultima. Now all that said, I have read (I think it was at the wilhelm site) that Epson printer inks look best and last longest with Epson paper. That is not the case with HP printers and their inks (ie. don't necessarily get best results on HP papers).
Regards
...Wes

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Camera Shy · Jun 28, 2002

Wes69632 said:
I have also tried the Kodak glossy premium Picture paper and it's
not nearly as good as the Ultima.

If the price is right I will probable end up trying the Ultima. I am not impressed with the Kodak glossy premium.

I need to find a place that sells the paper cheaper than $13 for 20 sheets.

CliffDiver · Jun 28, 2002

I myself use the Epson photo paper for my everyday prints then when I get a special photo, I use the Canon Photo Paper Pro.

I did not like the Kodak paper and found the best deal on the Epson paper at Costco...literally 30% lower than most other stores.

Still havent found a great deal on the Canon Papers...wish I knew if some other company was making the paper so I could buy it generic!

I print with an Epson c80 and I can see a clear difference...epson for my good printing, Canon for my best printing.
It might be a different result with the Archival inks.
--
Dustin aka CliffDiver
Imphasys Marketing

nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool!

Victor Barkas · Jun 28, 2002

My wife has been getting some very interesting and pleasing results with her digital camera images using an Epson paper intended for paint programs which produce watercolor images. It is a matte finish paper. The photos have an almost painted quality to them, but combined with the sharpness and detail of her 707. She is using an Epson 1280.

Vic

Camera Shy said:
So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Lens Envy · Jun 28, 2002

I agree with Wes.

I've got an HP OfficeJet G85 and it wasn't very thrilling with the Epson or HP papers but works wonders with the Kodak Ultima.

My printer is also a scanner, fax machine, coffee maker and coin operated washer/dryer so its amazing to me that the print quality I'm getting is as good as it is. But then, I have a small network set up and I had to set up my "digital photo" PC to print at the highest quality.

Steve
--
Proud New DSC F707 Owner

michealj · Jun 28, 2002

I have tried the Epson Matte finish and do not like the matte finish, colors were fine tho. CompUSA has been marketing a "high gloss Photo paper" (seems more like a satin finish) colors are good but finish seems a bit tacky. But at 5.99(us) for 40 sheets a good buy (4x6). I really like the Konica 4x6 photo glossy Ink Jet QP paper. Has the true glossy photo look. All papers were tried on an HP and an Epson printer.

Mike

Any married man should forget his mistakes.
There's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

Victor Barkas said:
Vic

Camera Shy said:

So I bought the Epson 820 last week for $69 at Costco. I also
bought some Kodak glossy "Premium Picture Paper" while I was there.
After printing several photos with the Kodak paper, I tried the
sample Epson glossy that came with the printer. There is a
noticeable difference between the paper. The Epson is glossier and
the ink does not show any lines. The Kodak paper is brighter
white, and a bit heavier, but it just does not look as professional
as the Epson. The ink stands out almost like a dye sublimation
printer.

What inkjet paper is your favorite? Have you had poor experience
with any other type of paper?

Click to expand...

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