Digital BW, The Print

I'm working on a project where I need to print a bunch of 5x7s on my
R2400.  These days I've been printing almost exclusively with the
F-type papers - Harman FB, Crane Silver Rag, and Innova Ultra Smooth
Gloss mainly.

None of these papers are available in 5x7 sizes.  Of course I could
print and then cut, but I really dislike doing that.  Also, for this
project the quality doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, so I don't
want to go to too much unnecessary trouble.

The only F-type or even glossy papers that come in 5x7 size as far as
I can tell are the Moab Colorado Fiber Satine & Gloss.  Does anyone
have experience with them?  Are they good papers with Epson PK?

Thanks.

When you say "F-type" are you saying you want a true high gloss or are
you saying you want air-dried look? 

Moab Colorado Fiber Satine and Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss are both
wonderful for the air dried look...Satine's my favorite with
2200...unfortunately Fiber Gloss seems prone to mechanical abrasions
in my 2200...  higher gloss than Fiber Satine and more texured). 

If you want a true high gloss packaged in 5X7 try Costco Kirkland,
available in that size the last time I looked, cheap, excellent in all
respects...with 2200/OEM anyway. 


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "chriskjezp"
<chriskresser@...> wrote:

>
> I'm working on a project where I need to print a bunch of 5x7s on my
> R2400.  These days I've been printing almost exclusively with the
> F-type papers - Harman FB, Crane Silver Rag, and Innova Ultra Smooth
> Gloss mainly.
> 
> None of these papers are available in 5x7 sizes.  Of course I could
> print and then cut, but I really dislike doing that.  Also, for this
> project the quality doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, so I don't
> want to go to too much unnecessary trouble.
> 
> The only F-type or even glossy papers that come in 5x7 size as far as
> I can tell are the Moab Colorado Fiber Satine & Gloss.  Does anyone
> have experience with them?  Are they good papers with Epson PK?
> 
> Thanks.
>

> Moab Colorado Fiber Satine and Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss are both
> wonderful for the air dried look...Satine's my favorite with
> 2200...unfortunately Fiber Gloss seems prone to mechanical abrasions
> in my 2200...  higher gloss than Fiber Satine and more texured). 

Just thought I could chime in and add some insight. The abrasion concern is a handling 
issue. When the material is printed, the ink is dry to the touch, but not "cured" during this 
period, the surface is very susceptible,  to scratching. After 20 minutes, the surface is hard 
and scratch resistant. Full curing take approx 8 hours. 

There is also a HUGE difference in the type of papers like Kirkland and Colorado. Kirkland 
is made with a plasticized base while the Colorado line is made of an acid-free alpha-
cellulose base making it much higher quality paper overall. Papers like Kirkland or our 
own Lasal Photo Gloss are ideal for every day printing, but for exhibition quality prints 
you'll want to stick to a fiber based product like Colorado.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Gregory Schern
'Mr Moab'

Darn.  Somehow I missed the replies to this thread until now.  I read
some pretty negative reviews of the Colorado papers (here, I think,
and on Luminous Landscape) so I went ahead and ordered Red River
Arctic Polar Satin.  I had seen a very good review on this paper
somewhere (can't remember where), and I like Red River as a company
(I've enjoyed their Aurora Art, I appreciate their customer service,
and the price is right).

Anyone have experience with the Arctic Polar?  Guess I'll find out
soon enough.

Chris-

what have you heard that is negative about the Colorado papers? The
reviews that are out there are very good reviews.

Photo Techniques has a nice review:

http://www.phototechmag.com/articles/articles/200712/Schranz_NewGeneration.pdf

Andy


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "chriskjezp"
<chriskresser@...> wrote:

>
> Darn.  Somehow I missed the replies to this thread until now.  I read
> some pretty negative reviews of the Colorado papers (here, I think,
> and on Luminous Landscape) so I went ahead and ordered Red River
> Arctic Polar Satin.  I had seen a very good review on this paper
> somewhere (can't remember where), and I like Red River as a company
> (I've enjoyed their Aurora Art, I appreciate their customer service,
> and the price is right).
> 
> Anyone have experience with the Arctic Polar?  Guess I'll find out
> soon enough.
>

Andy,

I believe several posts here turned me off to it.  Here's one example,
but most of them were in a similar vein:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/message/87252

I really do prefer the F-type papers to glossy papers, so I'd LIKE to
like the Colorado paper (because it's the only F-type paper available
in 5x7).  

Interesting how people can have such different opinions on a paper.

Phil-

There was a batch early on when Moab had a curling issue. The issue
was quickly resolved, and the papers that are shipping right now do
not have any curling issues.

Most fiber papers on the market are much much heavier, which is a
major problem for those people who are using printers such as the
Epson R1800, R2400 and the like. Moab came out wiht a 245gsm fiber
paper to make it more compatible with a wider range of printers.
Pretty straight forward business logic, and makes sense.

I believe that there is a huge disconnect between what is going on in
the industry and what is being talked about online. Sometimes a simple
phone call or email can get a whole bunch of questions answered quite
quickly.

You should read this thread regarding the cost that goes into
manufacturing inkjet papers. A good read:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/message/88815




--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "chriskjezp"
<chriskresser@...> wrote:
>
> Andy,
> 
> I believe several posts here turned me off to it.  Here's one example,
> but most of them were in a similar vein:
> 
>
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/message/87252

> 
> I really do prefer the F-type papers to glossy papers, so I'd LIKE to
> like the Colorado paper (because it's the only F-type paper available
> in 5x7).  
> 
> Interesting how people can have such different opinions on a paper.
>

Andy,

Thanks for clearing that up.  I'm excited to order some of the
Colorado paper and try it out!

Best,
Chris

Forgot to ask - do you prefer the gloss or satine?

I prefer the Colorado Satine, as it has just the right amount of  
gloss without being too glossy.

Andy


On Nov 20, 2007, at 12:53 PM, chriskjezp wrote:

> Forgot to ask - do you prefer the gloss or satine?
>
>
> 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Andy, I spoke with another Andy at Moab the other day,
and exchanged email with Greg ("Mr. Moab"). 

They believe my individual 2200, rather than paper
sensitivity, is to blame for 5/8" wide roller marks
about 5/8" in from the sides  of their glossy Colorado
and LaSal papers. Nobody else has reported this to
them.

 Moab's Colorado fiber Gloss would otherwise be one of
my three ultimate favorite papers, along with their
Colorado fiber Satine and HPR.

I've had no curling at all. I LIKE the weight of
Colorado papers, which allows them to feed easily from
stacks for multiple print runs. 

John