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Ink Jet Paper, Printers, Lysonic
Archival Inks, |
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Ink Jet Paper, Printers, Lysonic
Archival Inks, |
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| Red River's Polar Gloss gives photographic quality color and sharpness comparable to any fine photo paper. |
Red River Papers offers an impressive array of inkjet papers for graphic designers who use their inkjet printers to produce proofs or limited runs of work for a client, home users who wish to use their printers for personal projects such as Christmas cards, and digital photographers and artists who're looking for high quality, archival media for their salable artwork.
According to Drew Hendrix of Red River Paper, the company buys its papers directly, in bulk, from several different mills and then packages the paper for sale to the consumer. As a result, many of the papers and their coatings are available from no one else except Red River. Papers are available in a wide range of sizes, including 100 or 150 foot rolls.
Because of the wide assortment of papers offered, we ordered the
"Mega-sample Kit" which included two sheets each of thirty-three different papers,
as well as presentation folders and sample envelopes. We would suggest that you
do the same, as this is the only way to appreciate their fine line of papers.
(You can order online at: http://www.redrivercatalog.com/Pages/samplekits.html).
Sampling will help you decide what will best suit the kind of work you plan to do
dependent upon factors such as:
1. Cost
2. Size of paper needed for your printer and projects
3. Texture and weight of paper
4. Coatings
5. Archival quality
Depending on the coatings (non-coated vs. coated and one-sided vs. two-sided) and weight of papers, Red River papers range in price from the Red River 37 lb Premium Matte papers--which sell as low as sixteen cents per sheet of 8.5X11--to the heavyweight art papers such as the 80 lb. Caspian Card which runs about $1.00 per 8.5X11 sheet. If you've been shocked by the costs of other fine inkjet papers, the relatively low costs of these papers should be welcome. Of course, your final use of the papers will determine which is right for you. I particularly like the heavier papers like Caspian Card for the final output of my artwork.
In regard to the cost of inkjet papers in general, Hendrix had the following to say:
"What folks fail to remember is how new the technology of inkjet coatings really is. The truly good coatings started to be produced just two years ago. When traditional photo paper was brand new, or when Ektachrome was brand new in the 60's, they cost an arm and a leg in most cases. So it goes with glossy ink jet paper. The process to make fine offset printing paper is relatively fast. A typical mill will run their machines at about 1500 to 3000 feet per minute. When cast or resin coating an ink jet sheet, the coater runs at a whopping 100-400 feet per minute. As everyone knows, the more time a manufacturing process takes, the more it will cost! Look for these prices to fall steadily as time goes on. Also keep in mind that big names like Epson and HP put 200-500% mark-ups on their products. That's how they keep their giant 50,000 person monsters afloat. Red River takes a far smaller mark-up as can be seen by comparing prices.
"Uncoated art papers like Concord are priced high because 3rd and 4th party vendors are selling them. Make three to four mark-ups from the mill to the customer and you have high prices. Again, Red River tries to keep that to a minimum by having one mark-up only from the mill to the customer. Coated art papers are going to continue to be high because they are hard to make and are used for high-end printing. A Mercedes will always cost more than a Honda for the exact same reason.
"Matte papers are 4 times less expensive than glossy. However, they still suffer from the new technology syndrome."
Inkjet printers now come in a variety of sizes and can handle many paper sizes. Some printers can even accommodate one hundred foot rolls. You'll find that most papers are available in a wide assortment of sizes including long rolls.
Do you need a glossy paper for your photography work? Try Polar Gloss. It has super-saturated colors and great sharpness and resembles photographic paper. Is a heavy watercolor paper more your style? Then try Caspian Card or Somerset Velvet. Need a vellum or a canvas texture? Red River Artist Canvas is real canvas! Red River Art Vellum is great for lithographs, drawings, and watercolors for which archival properties are desired.
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| Uncoated papers such as Art Vellum absorb more of your inks into the fiber of the paper resulting in an image with more subtle colors. This is entirely appropriate for watercolors and pencil drawings. |
As we have noted in previous articles, the coating on inkjet paper effects the way in which the ink is absorbed onto the paper. As a result, it plays an important role in the color quality and sharpness of the resultant image. The pH and chemical makeup of the coating also affects the longevity and stability of the inks that you use for your image.
Red River sells several uncoated papers such as Art Vellum and Somerset Velvet. With these papers, you can expect your inks to be less vibrant and sharp. However, this effect is entirely appropriate for printing some forms of artwork. You'll find, for example, when the original work is a watercolor, these papers can capture the look and feel of the original.
The remainder of the papers are coated on one or both sides. The two-sided coating adds to the stability of the paper as well as allowing for printing on both sides of the paper--such as in the printing of a brochure.
Because the paper coatings come from a variety of sources (the coatings are applied at the mills), you'll find that the coatings are different depending on the paper. Some are acidic, while others are acid-free. We also found that there was a slight variability in absorption and color between different papers. You'll need to try these papers to see which will suit you best. And, because of the slight color variances, you may well have to use your Monaco EZ color software to create a printer profile for the paper you like the best so that you get consistent color in the future. Also, as with all papers, be prepared to do some testing and experimentation.
Those of you who come from a photographic background and have worked in the darkroom should appreciate the need for testing and experimentation. While a trial-and-error process may seem daunting and troublesome to the novice, the process is no different from that the serious photographer must go through every time s/he changes paper grades, manufacturers, or even production lots. There are too many variables involved to expect all papers to behave the same. If you accept that you may need to do some testing when you're approaching a new paper, your experience with inkjet papers and inks will be far less frustrating.
Red River has recently finished the testing of most of its papers. The results are below:
Red River Archival InformationRed River commissioned the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to test our papers for print longevity. The purpose of these tests is to give their customers a good estimate of how long their ink jet images will last before fading inks affect image quality. An important note from Red River Paper and RIT is that these numbers are simply good scientific estimates of how long certain paper and ink combinations will last. The type and amount of direct and indirect light exposure an image receives is impossible to measure or predict in all cases. In addition, we are learning from collective experience in the ink jet field that not only light exposure, but also the environment (humidity, temperature, etc.) affects the longevity of inks. The tests used an Epson 3000 Ink Jet Printer with Epson non-archival ink, Lyson E archival ink and MIS archival ink to print a color bar target. RIT followed the test parameters set by Henry Wilhelm and the Image Permanence Institute to make cross reference between tests easier. The targets were exposed to 50 kilolux of unfiltered cool white florescent light for a total of 56 days. (Equivalent to 450 lux/day) These longevity estimates are not intended as a guarantee of print life. In fact, the belief of Red River is that no one currently knows without a doubt the exact life expectancy of ink jet prints. Only time and observation will tell. The endpoint for testing was 34 years. The 34+ rating indicates no significant fading had occurred as of the 34th year of projected life. Longevity past 34 years would be assumed, but no solid estimate can be set. |
Red
River Paper |
No.
of years before ink jet images begin to fade using the following inks: |
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| Epson Ink Non-Archival |
Lyson E Ink Archival |
MIS Ink Archival |
32 lb. Premium Gloss |
4 | 18 | 7 |
| 53 lb. Premium Gloss |
4 | 18 | 7 | |
| 38 lb. Frio Gloss |
5 | 11 | 34+ | |
| 68 lb. Frio Gloss (coated 2 sides) |
6 | 18 | 34+ | |
| 49 lb. Premium Gloss (coated 2 sides) |
6 | 19 | 8 | |
| 50 lb. Frio Gloss |
5 | 11 | 34+ | |
| 36 lb. Premium Matte |
10 | 34+ | 28 | |
| 28 lb. Denali Matte |
6 | 16 | 34+ | |
| 43 lb. Denali Matte |
5 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| 58 lb. Denali Matte |
5 | 15 | 34+ | |
| 26 lb. Color Jet |
6 | 15 | 34+ | |
| Matte Canvas |
21 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Watercolor Text |
6 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Art Vellum |
9 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Art Felt White |
10 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Art Felt Natural |
10 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Somerset Velvet |
8 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Caspian Card |
8 | 34+ | 34+ | |
| Red River Sheer |
n/a | 34+ | 34+ | |
Here is a rundown on what is available from Red River. (Please note that recommended settings are for Epson printers. However, other printer types have similar setting possibilities.)
Red River Premium Gloss Family - 32lb., 43lb., 53lb., 55lb., & 49lb. Coated 2-Side
A new Professional Series will come out mid-summer. It will include a gloss actually better than Polar and a Satin sheet. The satin paper looks a lot like portrait grade paper photographers use.
Red River Paper offers a paper for nearly every use. The prices are reasonable, and tests show that the papers are suitable for the printing of your final artwork without the worry of having it fade within a few years. If you're looking for a source of paper that will meet your needs now and in the future, we definitely recommend investigating these fine papers.
(For more information, please call 888-248-8774 Monday - Friday, 8am to 5pm. You can email anytime to redriver@dallas.net. Or see their web site at: http://www.redrivercatalog.com )
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