# How important is quality of printing paper?



## sashmo (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm wondering how much difference printing paper makes to the performance of inks. Usually I buy 100 sheets of gloss at Costco. It's a bit heavier weight. Is there someone out there with experience that could weigh in on this?


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

sashmo said:


> I'm wondering how much difference printing paper makes to the performance of inks. Usually I buy 100 sheets of gloss at Costco. It's a bit heavier weight. Is there someone out there with experience that could weigh in on this?


A big difference depending on the printer. I have used "generic" papers and they have tended to produce inferior results. Kodak can be quite good but in general my experience is to get the branded paper for your printer, more expensive but I have found it in general to produce superior result.

A notable exception are specialty art papers which yield a special look and feel to the the print. The main thing is to always be sure that you are using the correct profile for the paper that you are using when printing.


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## sashmo (Oct 19, 2002)

Hi screature. Thanks for responding. The profile I use is the recommended (I believe) PS profile: Adobe RGB 1998.


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## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

We print a fair amount, on both an Epson R1800 and and Epson 4800. The lion's share of paper we use is Epson. I'd guess it's probably an 80/17/2/1 split between Premium Luster, Premium Glossy, Velvet Fine Art Paper and other brands. Most of the "other brand" paper we've tried has been fine art paper (Hahnemule, etc), higher end stuff, rather than the more economical glossy or luster.

While cost may be an issue for some, as a pro, let's be realistic: whether that 8x10 paper/ink combo costs 95 cents or a buck forty means very little to a print that's going to retail for $25-$150 or more.

We've always gone with the Epson paper/ink for print life. It doesn't make sense for us to gamble on what may be poorer quality for a few cents less a print.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

sashmo said:


> Hi screature. Thanks for responding. The profile I use is the recommended (I believe) PS profile: Adobe RGB 1998.


When I say profile I am referring to the printer profile for the paper. Depending on the sophistication of your printer software you should actually be able to select and even download specific profiles for the paper that is being used. If you use the wrong one vs. the correct one it can make a HUGE difference to the quality of the print... I mean HUGE.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

What I specifically should have said is you actually have two places to choose your paper/printer profile the first is in the general print dialogue like the one shown below.

First choose the printer profile for the specif paper you are using and then again in the dialog box for the print setting.

You can click on all of these screen captures to see them larger.


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2011)

Paper makes a huge difference in prints without a doubt. You want to make sure that you at the very least have proper profiles for the actual paper (as screature is talking about) with your printer. This is the primary reason to go with matching paper/printer brands where you can because the profiles are supplied. Lower quality/cheaper paper can result in less resolution, less accurate colour, more ink usage and less longevity for the prints.

I tend to stick with Epson paper these days, Epson Ultra Premium Lustre is my current fav.

It also depends on what you're going to be doing with the actual prints. If it's fine art type prints then for sure use the good stuff (and probably avoid glossy/lustre types and go with a nice matte or rag).


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## sashmo (Oct 19, 2002)

Thanks again for your help. In the printer dialogue box I've always let PhotoShop handle colours and in the drop down box for printer profile I choose Adobe RGB 1998. My inks are refillable Island Inkjet and I buy gloss paper in bulk from Costco. So should I be making a different selection under printer profile?


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

sashmo said:


> Thanks again for your help. In the printer dialogue box I've always let PhotoShop handle colours and in the drop down box for printer profile I choose Adobe RGB 1998. My inks are refillable Island Inkjet and I buy gloss paper in bulk from Costco. So should I be making a different selection under printer profile?


Well first of all we need to know your printer.... But, second I have never ever had any luck with the refillable inks, they are cheap for a reason... profiles are not built to match them so it is a guessing game through trial and error and form batch to batch. Based on my experience I could never recommend 3rd party refillable inks and I know nothing about Costco paper. If they have a downloadable custom printer profile for their paper that you can install then use that. 

Outside of that I recommend going back to branded paper and branded inks you will waste a lot less of both and save yourself a lot of disappointment and frustration. I say this because I have been there , done that.


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## sashmo (Oct 19, 2002)

My printer is a Canon iP4200. So, If I buy Canon inks and Canon paper do I choose a Canon paper profile or the RGB profile, as I've been taught?


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

The RGB profile is still what you will use for the Photoshop file itself. However, when it comes to the printer profile you choose the one specific to your paper. I know it all seems a little confusing and contradictory but that is what will provide you with the best results.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Because printer toners, inks and papers do vary slightly from batch to batch any profile will only get you close. Most printers do allow fine tuning and even creating custom profiles. 

Monitor should be calibrated and gamma set to PC not Mac standard. Up to you as to whether the built in Colour Sync app does an adequate job or if you need to spring for something a bit easier to use.

Generic Tip: When using inkjet printers, the colours often change just slightly as they dry. Hitting the test prints with a hairdryer on low for a minute or three will help assure that you are not trying to evaluate prints that are still slightly "wet".


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## sashmo (Oct 19, 2002)

Thanks for the clarification. I see that I've been doing it wrong. eMacMan, why do you calibrate monitor to PC and not to Mac standard?


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

sashmo said:


> Thanks for the clarification. I see that I've been doing it wrong. eMacMan, why do you calibrate monitor to PC and not to Mac standard?


Couple of reasons. Most printers assume you are using a PC. Some will accommodate Mac standards but that is by no means universal. Also I send many of my images out to be printed on real silver based photo paper. Those printers always use PC standards. 

I stick with PC gamma 100% of the time. That way if I eMail images to friends they will at least be in the ball park. My Canon ink jet printer closely matches what I see on my monitor and prints I outlab come back extremely close to monitor images. Nothing is 100% but overall my waste is quite minimal.

Having said all of that, it takes a very good eye to use the built in color Sync calibration. Setting your desk-top to 50% grey will at least tell you if the calibration is reasonably accurate. If you see a bit of colour tinting the grey, you need to try again. Don't be discouraged if it takes several tries to get it right.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2011)

I'm honestly not really sure why Apple ever decided to use 1.8 gamma. The standard is the 2.2 (which is the "PC" gamma). As of 10.6.x Apple is _finally_ defaulting to 2.2 gamma like the rest of the world. If anyone knows the reason why Apple did use 1.8 I'd be interested in reading up on it. I heard rumblings years ago about something to do about trying to match spot colours for press work but I don't know how much merit that opinion should hold ...


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## alanbeast (May 6, 2011)

Red River Ultra Pro Satin.

Any more questions?


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