Best paper for printing digital photos?

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:45:24 +0930, jmc wrote:

> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
> Classic Pearl.
>
> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should
> look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in
> the inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I
> like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest
>
> My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.
>
> jmc

I you believe the industry info, best results will be obtained by using
the manufacturer's paper as it is designed to complement the inks they
manufacture - assuming you're using manufacturer's cartridges, of course.
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

jmc wrote:
> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
> Classic Pearl.
>
> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should
> look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in
> the inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I
> like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest
>
> My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.
>
> jmc

I own that same printer, based on the iP4200 (here in the U.S.).

I'll assume you're using Canon OEM inks, I've not found any good source
for 3rd party ink for these new chipped Canons that I'd trust yet. I
have gotten my best results by far from Canon's papers; I print Photo
Paper Plus Glossy if it's not going to be under glass, I use Canon
Matte Photo Paper for framed prints. Colors are rich and accurate
without a lot of fussing with profiles, and tonality is acceptable. I
haven't tried Canon Semi-Gloss, but I'd expect similar results.

I have a box of Ilford Classic Pearl but I didn't like the results I
got - what printer profile are you using? With the Ilford profile for
the iP4200 my results were dull and dark and the colors were not true;
I had trouble with pooling of ink, too. The dark colors faded very
quickly, in a few months - overall not satisfactory. The cost of the
Glossy Canon paper is similar to Ilford Classic papers at about 50-60
cents per 8.5X11" page, the matte is less than 20 cents/page and looks
excellent under glass. I decided to look around for other satin papers
to try, I still haven't found anything worthwhile.

I have heard that the HP Premium Plus papers works well and retains
color better than Canon papers; I just bought a pack of glossy and
semi-gloss on sale and I'll be trying it out soon.
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

jmc wrote:

> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should
> look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in
> the inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I
> like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest

The paper and inks interact very intimately indeed; both are crucial
factors in longevity. As occasional surprises have shown.

Wilhelm Imaging Research is the leading independent lab doing this sort
of testing. Of course accelerated testing is Black Magic; but Wilhelm
has been doing it longer than most, so they have more slow testing to
back up their procedures.
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

jmc wrote:
> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
> Classic Pearl.
>
> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should
> look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in
> the inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I
> like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest
>
> My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.
>
> jmc

I have been using Red River UltraPro Gloss for
several years and like it a lot with my Canon i960
printer. I also refill my ink and they work
together very well.
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

"jmc" <NOnewsgroupsSPAM DeleteThis @NOjodiBODY.HOMEus> wrote in message
news:5119jeF1gv60oU1@mid.individual.net...
> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
> Classic Pearl.
>
> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should look
> at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in the
> inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I like
> a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest
>
> My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.
>
> jmc

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/143/photo-paper/introduction.html
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

And lo, Rod Williams <rodw.TakeThisOut@adelphia.net> emerged from the ether
and spake thus:
> jmc wrote:
>> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
>> Classic Pearl.
>>
>> Before I order more, is there any other brand/type of paper I should
>> look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity, or is that more in
>> the inks? I don't print often, but when I do it's generally something I
>> like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall, or enter into a photo contest
>>
>> My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.
>>
>> jmc
>
> I have been using Red River UltraPro Gloss for
> several years and like it a lot with my Canon i960
> printer. I also refill my ink and they work
> together very well.

I also use Red River paper and have found their entire line to be of
the highest quality. I no longer use any other papers.

My favorite and most used papers are the Polar Gloss and the UltraPro
Satin, the latter of which is a big hit with my clients.

I'm printing currently on an Epson Stylus Photo 2200.

--
Aaron
http://www.fisheyegallery.com
http://www.singleservingphoto.com
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos? 

> jmc wrote:
>> Well, I've just run out of my current favorite paper, Ilford Galerie
>> Classic Pearl. Before I order more, is there any other brand/type
>> of paper I should look at? Does paper quality affect print longevity,
>> or is that more in the inks? I don't print often, but when I do
>> it's generally something I like a lot, to frame and hang on a wall,
>> or enter into a photo contest. My printer's a Canon Pixma MP500.

We have a home printer with the same type of inks.
My advice is to reorder Ilford Galerie Classic Pearl if you like it.
Meanwhile, pick up a pack of Epson Heavyweight Matte, which is
widely available. I like it, and it's not expensive.

Paper quality does affect longevity, probably more than the inks.
For example, Epson Heavyweight Matte holds colors almost 10x as long
as Epson (Glossy) Photo Paper according to Wilhelm.

ray <ray.DeleteThis@zianet.com> wrote:
> I you believe the industry info, best results will be obtained by using
> the manufacturer's paper as it is designed to complement the inks they
> manufacture - assuming you're using manufacturer's cartridges, of course.

According to Wilhelm testing, the Epson Heavyweight Matte outlasts
Canon Matte by 2 or 3 to 1. This might be an exception to Ray's Rule.
 >> Stay informed about: Best paper for printing digital photos?