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John_Reed
06-05-2005, 08:21 AM
I took this photo last year in Kauai (It's the Waimea Valley, and it really did look like that) with my FZ10:
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/9376497-L.jpg
I don't know about your reaction to it, but for me, the colors just kind of "leap out" of the screen. The other day, as a gift for a neighborhood woman who is fighting big battles with the big C, I was inspired to print an 8X10 of this photo, frame it, and give it to her. I labeled it "Suddenly - There's a Valley!"

But when I printed it on my Epson 2200, somehow the screen didn't exactly translate to the paper. Where the screen image had "life," the paper image was duller, less full of "life." It was still OK, but it just lacked that vivacity. But I framed it in the frame I'd bought anyway, and was about to resign myself to an "acceptable level of mediocrity," when I remembered I had some Epson "Premium Luster Photo Paper," a whole box. The first print was made on Epson "Glossy Photo Paper," the kind you can buy at Costco for about $20/100 sheets. I loaded the Premium Luster (I think it's about $1.00 a sheet!) into the printer, and without changing the print settings (OK, I checked "Premium Luster," but didn't change the ColorSync color profile), reprinted the photo. POP! The new image perfectly matched the vivacity of the screen image.

Not only did the colors come out "true to life," but the better paper also produced a flatter, much more professional looking print, which quickly replaced the earlier attempt in the frame. She loved the gift, and I'm resigned to a future of higher paper costs...

Ray Schnoor
06-05-2005, 09:44 AM
I agree, John. I try to print on premium luster as often as I can. I wish that Epson made it in the 4x6 size for borderless photos. I normally buy it from Buy.com, which has pretty reasonable prices. 50 8.5x11 sheets for $26, 8.25" x 33' rolls for $32, 50 A3 sheets for $65, 50 super B sheets for $81, 13" x 33' rolls for $45.
Ray.

John_Reed
06-05-2005, 10:28 AM
I agree, John. I try to print on premium luster as often as I can. I wish that Epson made it in the 4x6 size for borderless photos. I normally buy it from Buy.com, which has pretty reasonable prices. 50 8.5x11 sheets for $26, 8.25" x 33' rolls for $32, 50 A3 sheets for $65, 50 super B sheets for $81, 13" x 33' rolls for $45.
Ray.Doesn't hurt to know where to go for a deal. I've also used Ilford "Smooth Pearl" papers that are "2200-compatible" and they give beautiful results.

erichlund
06-06-2005, 09:50 AM
My printer is the Epson R800. The Premium Glossy Photo Paper works great with this printer, so probably will with the newer printers as well. The gloss enhancer cartridge really flattens out the image. I've used the premium matte and it also works well. I've not tried the premium luster yet.

Cheers,
Eric

phistio
06-06-2005, 10:05 AM
i print from an HP 7150...and most often use satin finishes. my favorite is paper--hands down, is Illford. IMO, it is the very pest paper to print images on.

one thing to be said about printing is making sure the photo has been changed from 72 dpi to at least 300 dpi for color, and 250 for black and white.

SamPhilly
06-27-2005, 01:33 PM
I was hunting for a paper thread. :)

I have a Canon i5000, and have used Canon Paper Pro 4x6 borderless. The colors were always robust. Over the weekend, I ran out of paper and was in a rush so I went to the wholesale club and brought the only photo paper they had, Kodak High Gloss...YUCK! The colors were very dull, not to mention that it had a border. I am now waiting for a mail order shipment this Kodak paper is going in the trash.

I have found that good paper makes a huge difference.

fnoel
07-11-2005, 11:27 AM
I am not an expert by any extent but Just by past experiences I have found the following to be fairly acureate. I have an epson photo printer and tried HP photo paper in it and pictures came out horrible. I gave the rest to a lady I work with who has an HP printer and the pictures came out fantastic. Yes I did set my printer to the right paper settings and all. I then used epsilon paper from ink4art.com and those pictures came out great. So I have just come to the conclusion that I am going to use paper that is compatible with my printer.

polemistis
07-12-2005, 11:24 AM
I was at office depot the other day and they have canon photo paper plus (glossy) 4x6 2 for 1 until this saturday. Great deal, I have found that paper to work beautifully with my prints ona canon ip8500.

SamPhilly
07-12-2005, 11:45 AM
Thanks polemistis that is good to know. I'll be stopping there before home. :)

sun5150
07-12-2005, 10:25 PM
YES, the paper makes a huge difference.
The Costco Epson is no good.

I have the Canon 9000 and had good results with Illford, Canon and Smart paper.
Smart paper is a company that makes paper for offset printing and have been around for awhile. The photo gloss is very nice.