Digital BW, The Print

Mark,

My Epson 1280 seems to feed very well and swallows 350 gsm Eclipse 
Velvet without a problem so I would suspect that it would have a 
reasonable shot at feeding the 425 Epson Smooth Fine Art.

The problem is still the $200+ cost for a package of sheets to see if 
I like or not, and my lack of a cutter to get it down to 8.5x11 and 
11x17 sizes. My Rotatrim is only 20". In the long haul I have enough 
to do without having to convert all the paper I use.

As soon as it is available in desktop sizes I will definately give it 
a try since it sounds like a wonderful paper.

Martin

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Mark Tucker" <mark@m...> 
wrote:
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Martin Wesley" 
> <mwesley250@e...> wrote:
> > I have not seen any of the Epson Fine Art Smooth. I believe it is 
> > available only in rolls. So I can't comment on that one.
> 
> The Epson Smooth Fine Art is available two ways: in 24"x30" 
> sheets, at a whopping 425gsm; and in 24"x50' rolls, at a more 
> standard 225gsm.
> 
> This has been my main printing paper for months now. 
> According to Robert Rex of Crane yesterday, it has no OBA's, 
> which was a relief. (Crane makes the paper, but Epson markets 
> it with their name). Subjectively, I would rate the paper base 
color 
> as "white"; it's not creamy in any way. So this is good to get a 
> paper that's white, and yet not having any brighteners.
> 
> Several people have expressed concern over using the sheet 
> weight in smaller printers like the 1280 or 1160 or 3000. I don't 
> know whether or not it's too heavy to move through those paper 
> transports. I use the 7000 Epson, and it works great with that.
> 
> But I LOVE the weight of the sheets. Even at 8x10 size, it feels 
> like a substantial piece in your hand. The 225gsm roll weight, 
> especially when printed large, at about 20x24, just feels kinda 
> mamby-pamby, like you're afraid to touch it because it would 
> crimp too easily. But the sheet weight is killer. Cut down in 
> quarters, you'd get a 12"x15" sheet out of a master; the cost 
> would be about $1.90 per 12x15.
> 
> I do believe it's designed primarily for pigmented inks, ie 
> 7500/9500, and honestly I don't know the risk of running a 
> "pigment paper" with dyes or hexes or Piezo, in terms of 
> fading/shifting,etc.
> 
> Here's a PDF with more info:
> http://prographics.epson.com/pdf/SmoothFineArt.pdf
> 
> -Mark Tucker