Apogee Photo Magazine:Inkjet 101

(Editors Note: All tests were done using an Epson 1200 printer with MIS archival inks. Remember; your results may differ if you use another printer or ink set. For an excellent discussion on ink characteristics see: http://www.tssphoto.com/sp/dg/archival_inks.html)

This month we feature a variety of papers: Xtreme gamut papers, Concord Rag, Frankfurt Art, Osprey, Pictorico papers (made by Asahi Glass), Somerset Enhanced and Guardian Optimized Watercolor paper (GWCS250).

Xtreme gamut papers

We tried the Xtreme gamut Satine and Reflection papers. The Satine is 100% cotton fiber, coated for maximum color space and reduced dot gain. The paper is extra-white, with a smooth surface and a slight texture. Its weight is 245 gsm or 120 lbs. Using the MIS archival inks, the inks dried quickly with sharp, vibrant quality. It tended to print slightly bluer than the standard Epson paper, so for exacting work, make sure you create a color profile for your paper using software such as Monaca EZ Color. We liked the contrast in the color images but experienced some posterization with uncalibrated continuous tone B/W images. (Again, you'll need to do tests to find the best setting for your images.) The color images are very sharp with no bleeding of inks. This is a paper worth considering for your photographic images.

The Reflection series is the same as above but with a glossy surface. Usually, with a glossy paper, one might expect brighter colors and better saturation. This is not the case with these two papers. The Satine was much punchier on our carousel horse and seemed much brighter. The blacks were also much richer in the Satine. However, the skin tones were truer in the Reflection with much smoother gradations--especially in the darker areas.

Both papers come in 8.5 X 11 to 22 X 17 sizes. The Satine will also be available in rolls soon. Your setting on Epson printers should be 1440 dpi, Photo Glossy or Photo Glossy Film. If you haven't begun using archival inks with your inkjet printer and would like to try these papers, Xtreme Gamut also makes its product on archival ink set for the 9000, 3000, and 1200 printers. You might want to try them as a set. (You can get these at PhotoInkjet.com.)

Frankfurt Art Watercolor Papers

This is a coated mold-made watercolor paper. It's very heavy but flexible enough to come on rolls, as well. It's closely comparable to Lumijet Classic Velour, one of our favorite papers, and Lyson Standard Water Color Paper. It could very well be the same paper as the Classic Velour; however, the coatings are not the same. As with several coated inkjet papers we've tested, the coating on the Frankfurt Art paper couldn't handle the volume of ink the Epson 1200 produces. There was considerable bleeding, and although the colors remained bright, the amount of bleeding that was present suggested a non-coated paper.

As with other papers that had this problem, experimentation with different paper settings and the saturation controls on the printer driver may be required to solve this problem. (Note: It's also possible that the MIS inks we were using are not compatible with this paper's coating, and since it's not practical for us to flush out our printer and load new inks every time, we're not able to test it with other inks.) The paper is white (the weight is 310 gsm) and comes in cut paper sized up to 22" X 17" as well as 36" and 44" rolls.

This paper may be obtained through www.PhotoInkjet.com. A sample pack of all PhotoInkjet.com's papers are available at a very reasonable price. I suggest that you take advantage of the cost saving to test these papers yourself.

Concorde Rag

This is a very nice, light-weight paper, ivory in color, and coated. We found it a perfect choice to use with quadtone inks when printing delicately shaded images such as pencil drawings. However, with full-range B/W and and some color images, there was considerable bleeding similar to that found with uncoated watercolor papers. We've used this paper extensively, however, for some of our figure studies and portrait work where the bleeding gives the character of a carbon Fresson print used early in the 1900's. (See APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: Time Traveler: José Ortiz Echagüe for an example of a photographer who used this method.) Interestingly, other users have reported results very different from ours, so it may be advisable for you to check this out for yourself.

The specially treated surface of Concorde Rag (100% cotton, acid free and water-resistant) is formulated to maximize color space and minimize dot gain. This treatment results in an art paper with outstanding photographic printability. No other paper produced to date accepts such a complete range of radically different inksets. Current test results using new pigmented inks are giving projected image stability numbers in excess of 150 years.

Osprey by Hawk Mountain Art Papers

This is a very smooth, extra-white paper mold-made from 100% archival cotton with a weight of 250 gsm. We found the color tint to be very similar to that of the Xtreme gamut papers with slightly less contrast and color saturation. With our full tone B/W image, however, Osprey was better--especially in the "shoulder" area, those lighter tones that tend to white. Xtreme Satine tended to posterize the finer light shades of skin tones, while the Osprey handled them just right--giving smooth, realistic skin highlights. This paper works well with both pigmented and dye-based inks. The MIS inks dry quickly and maintain a nice brightness. This is a very good paper to try. It comes in sizes up to 22 X 17 inches and rolls.

Click on any of the above images to see a bigger version. The following discussion may be easier to follow as you examine a larger version.

The image on the far left shows an example of "cockling," the overwhelming of the paper's coating by the amount of ink delivered by the printer. The coating reaches a saturation point, and the remaining ink sits on top of the coating, pooling until it dries as blobs. This effect may be remedied by adjusting saturation levels within the printer driver window or by choosing a different paper type in the paper dialogue window. Generally, I've found that this adjustment causes a cascade of other problems, including shifting colors and lack of saturation. With the abundance of other papers available that have all the qualities I'm looking for in an archival paper, I tend to eliminate these papers as options for my continued use.

The middle image is a close-up of the target printed on Frankfurt Art. At first glance, the problem appears to be bleeding, but on close-up inspection, it shares many characteristics of cockling. At any rate, adjustment of saturation or choice of another paper type may be adequate to correct either problem.

On the far right is Xtreme gamut Satine. Notice how sharp the image is. There is no bleeding or cockling. (Note: In the larger version, you can even see the film grain!) The inks dry quickly without remaining tacky. However, you'll also notice the blue shift. The image at the far left is closest to the "correct" one in terms of its color balance. As with color photo papers, papers and coating change from manufacture to manufacturer, necessitating testing and the creation of new printer/paper profiles. This is an easy problem to correct, either by using a software package such as Monaco EZ Color, which creates a new printer/paper profile, or by adding a color correction to your workflow just prior to printing. Among my favorite papers, there are slight differences in color balance, a fact I keep in mind when working with a paper and a particular image.

Pictorico Ink Jet Media

Information obtained from Pictorico indicates the manufacturer Asahi Glass of Japan has taken a different approach to the production of coating in this paper. This line uses a mono-directional, transparent layer of uniform, ultra-fine, ceramic particles. The vast number of regularly-shaped pares on the surface layer enhances the absorption of ink. The ink dries quickly with a minimum of bleeding and color dot distortion, and the bond between the paper and ink is practically impenetrable and water resistant.

We printed on both the card stock and glossy film versions of the Pictorico papers. However, we experienced some problems. The card stock, while showing brilliant colors, also displayed cockling. However, the Glossy film showed the best image reproduction of any paper we've tested. It was identical to any photographic paper. Colors were sharp and saturated but did not exhibit any posterization in the highlights or shadows. It was the best paper by far in term of color and image. However, after it dried, we discovered a difficulty. The MIS inks and coating came off all over our hands and other surfaces. We're not sure if this was due to our inks again or some other problem. Because of the beauty of the images produced on this paper, we're willing to investigate further to find a solution to this problem. Perhaps a spray coating such as Lumijet's Lumishield will solve the dilemma or, perhaps, another ink may work fine.

Also, there's no data as to the longevity of this paper when used with a variety of inks. We'll await more information before producing items for sale using this paper. You can find out more about this paper at: www.pictorico.com

Somerset Enhanced

Somerset Enhanced is, perhaps, the most widely used and known coated watercolor paper for inkjet and gicleé printing. We were extremely pleased with this paper. The long awaited, second generation of Somerset Velvet Radiant White is now available with increased definition in the highlights, an expanded color space, and smaller dot gain for increase resolution. Somerset Photo Enhanced is your best reproduction choice when trying to reach difficult colors at the edge of your ink's color gamut. The bright white color, combined with superior ink holdout gives stunning results. For crisp "photo quality" reproductions without sacrificing the luxurious feel of real fine art paper, Somerset Photo Enhanced is the premium paper choice.

Guardian Water Color Papers

In texture and feel, this paper resembles Lumijet Classic Velour and Frankfurt Art papers. The coating, however, is different. Product literature claims the coating helps to produce deep, dark blacks and vibrant, saturated color, and is designed to work with virtually all inksets, especially dye and pigment based archival inks.

This 100% cotton rag paper has been internally and externally sized to provide a greater degree of stiffness and to maintain its archival quality. This paper "feels" thicker (like a 19 mil) than it is (actually 16 mil)--giving a greater feeling of value, yet feeding more easily into your printer because of its reduced thickness.

A minimum of 3% calcium carbonate is used to buffer the paper to a pH of 8.5. Our surrounding environment is mildly acidic. Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will cause paper to become more acidic, even if it's originally made to a neutral pH (7.0). Therefore, the Guardian sheet has an alkaline reserve "buffering agent" added to defend against environmental acids. (Mounting boards used by the U.S. Library of Congress have this buffering requirement, as do other conservation institutions.) Tests by Wilhelm indicate a very favorable archival characteristic.

The product literature also makes mention that Epson six-color inks perform less desirably than other ink sets. We found this to be true. There was extreme cockling, and the ink remained tacky even after a week. Again, the problem appeared to be with the volume of ink the printer sprays onto the coating. This may be remedied by playing with the saturation, and may not be a problem at all with other printers.

InkJetArt.com offers a sample pack that offers Concorde Rag, Guardian, Liege, Lumijet Classic Velour, Lumijet Flaxen Weave, Lumijet Museum Parchment, Osprey Giclee , and Somerset Velvet Photo Enhanced for a reasonable price. This is a good way to try out some of the papers we've discussed, as well as a few others that we have not.