Paper does matter. What papers do I use to print my projects?
Hello again, dear readers!
Today's post is about a topic that would have been very good for me when I bought my EPSON EcoTank 7750 printer: PAPER.
And you may ask yourself, the paper? Aren't they all the same? Aren't they only different in their weight?
Like everything in life, if we are not taught, we learn through trial and error. This is what happened to me with paper and my printer.
Before delving into this wonderful field, I thought that the only difference between the papers sold in stationery stores was the thickness of the paper... 😅 I had never seen the need to worry about this issue and my ignorance was absolute.
I began to be aware of how complex the subject was when the printer arrived at my house and, with all the excitement in the world, I printed one of my illustrations on cheap paper... You can imagine what face I had when I saw the result...
I immediately started researching and familiarizing myself with color profiles and paper types.
And, although this topic is for another post, let me tell you as a summary that, depending on the type of paper, you have to configure the printer with one profile or another.
After many tests, the ones I currently use are:
ILFORD STUDIO – ILLUSTRATION PRINTING
I'm going to start this comparison with my favorite in the world, the ILDFORD STUDIO.
It is a 235 g/m2 matte paper, the thickest of all the papers I use for illustrations.
You can find it on Amazon today for €17.74 for a pack of 50 A4 sheets. I let you the link, in case you are interested.
The sharpness and fidelity of the colors are amazing.
I know that there is a paper from this same brand with a higher weight (310 g/m2) and better quality called ILFORD GALERIE.
If I have not decided to buy it, it is because the inks in my printer are not museum quality, they are the original Epson ones. I consider that buying such quality paper to print “homemade” copies (of very good quality, yes, but not museum quality) is wasting money.
As for the weight, it is true that the heavier the paper, the greater the sensation of quality it conveys. Personally, I am not overly concerned about the weight of the paper, overall, most of the artprints that I print will go behind a frame and it will not be noticeable if the paper is thick or not.
EPSON ARCHIVAL MATTE – ARTWORK PRINTING
It is a189 g/m2 matte paper. You can find it today on Amazon for €26.63 for a pack of 50 sheets in A4 size. I let you the link, in case you are interested.
I use it together with ILFORD STUDIO to print illustrations. Although it is a little lighter than the previous one, it has an advantage, and that is that since it is original from EPSON, the printer has a color profile made exclusively for it.
EPSON MATTE – Color tests
It is a167 g/m2 matte paper.
You can find it today on Amazon for €17.50 for a pack of 50 sheets in A4 size. I leave you the link in case you are interested.
I mainly use it to check the color of my prints. You already know that each screen corrects color in a different way and is not always faithful to reality. By printing a sample on good paper I can verify that the color I am working with corresponds to what I am really looking for.
It is a very good paper, you can tell to the touch that it is the thinnest of the three. However the print quality has nothing to envy.
dcp clairefontaine – an all-round paper
It is a200 g/m2 satin paper.
You can find it today on Amazon for €18.69 for a pack of 250 sheets in A4 size. I leave you the link in case you are interested.
I want to start by commenting that this paper is not suitable for printing illustrations, in terms of sharpness and color quality it is not even close to any of the papers mentioned above.
Clarified, this paper is perfect to replace the typical paper used to print documents. It has a similar weight to cardboard but with a softer texture.
I like to use it when I want a document to be robust and last over time, such as calendars or cards. I also use it, sometimes, to print my downloadable scrapbooking and project life papers.
FIXO PAPER CARDBOARD – PRINT DECORATED PAPERS
Cardstock180 g/m2.
You can find it today on Amazon for €10.39 for a pack of 100 sheets in A4 size. I leave you the link in case you are interested.
This cardboard is ideal for printing decorated papers that you can use in your scrap projects. As it does not have excessive weight, it allows us to superimpose layers of paper without increasing the thickness much.
As for print quality, the result is quite acceptable within its limitations.
At the end of the post I have left you photos comparing the different papers, so you can draw your own conclusions. 😉
KOALA STICKER PAPER – PRINT DECORATED PAPERS
Self-adhesive glossy photo paper. You can find it today on Amazon for €17.09 for a pack of 100 sheets in A4 size. I leave you the link in case you are interested.
After trying to print stickers on a number of adhesive papers, this is the best one I have found.
The final finish is very good. I leave you some photos so you can compare yourselves.
Q-CONNECT sticker paper
Although it is not really noticeable in the photographs, the paper that achieves the darkest black is ILDFORD STUDIO.
“Good” papers get more tonal variety. Although it is not visible in the photograph, the gradient of the sea is much more intense on the Epson paper than on any of the other two. The same goes for the reds of the feathers.
If we compare Clairefontaine DCP and FIXO cardstock, FIXO colors tend to be warmer while DCP colors are cooler.
That's it for today's post. I hope it has been helpful to you.
Remember that if you have questions you can ask me and, to the best of my knowledge, I will try to help you.
Happy week!
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