QTR-Quadtone RIP

Can anyone recommend a paper that hits the price / quality sweet spot?

I teach a high school photography class that is hybrid, part wet, part digital, with many students scanning their negs on some V700s and then printing to an Epson 4880. I have them import grayscale images into Lightroom, do final tweaks, and then print from there via QTR. The printer is loaded with the neutral K7 inkset.

We print mostly 8X10 images vertical, two at a time, on 17" roll paper - which is cheaper than sheets.

We have gotten some very nice prints from Museo Max with the MoabEntrada NW profile in QTR. I love the richness of the shadow areas. However, what my budget allows is Inkpress Matte, at half the price. I have been using the Epson VFA profile with ink limits set to -15 in the advanced adjustments setting. I notice the difference in the richness of the tones between the two papers, and some of the advanced students notice as well.

Is there a paper in the price range of the Inkpress that delivers like the Museo Max? I\u02bbve thought of buying a custom Inkpress profile from Inkjet Mall, but suspect that the prints still won\u02bbt have the tonal qualities we need.

On 12/09/2012 04:46 AM, janbecket wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a paper that hits the price / quality sweet
> spot?
>
> I teach a high school photography class that is hybrid, part wet,
> part digital, with many students scanning their negs on some V700s
> and then printing to an Epson 4880. I have them import grayscale
> images into Lightroom, do final tweaks, and then print from there via
> QTR. The printer is loaded with the neutral K7 inkset.
>
> We print mostly 8X10 images vertical, two at a time, on 17" roll
> paper - which is cheaper than sheets.
>
> We have gotten some very nice prints from Museo Max with the
> MoabEntrada NW profile in QTR. I love the richness of the shadow
> areas. However, what my budget allows is Inkpress Matte, at half the
> price. I have been using the Epson VFA profile with ink limits set to
> -15 in the advanced adjustments setting. I notice the difference in
> the richness of the tones between the two papers, and some of the
> advanced students notice as well.
>
> Is there a paper in the price range of the Inkpress that delivers
> like the Museo Max? I\u02bbve thought of buying a custom Inkpress
> profile from Inkjet Mall, but suspect that the prints still
> won\u02bbt have the tonal qualities we need.
>
>

The Innova Decor Art IFA24 (rolls) and IFA25 (dual sided, sheets only
version) are cheap and have a high white reflectance, slightly warmer
than neutral. 210-220 gsm, Lab 97.7 -0.3 1.9. Light texture, almost
smooth. No OBA but I suspect a bleached paper base. Innova says Alpha
Cellulose, Acid and Lignin free. I do not think Innova distributes it in
the US but Hahnem\ufffdhle recently introduced Harman by HM Matt Fibre Duo
210gsm which is by all indications the IFA25. Sheets only. If HM sets a
price that comes anywhere near the Innova price I pay then you have an
inexpensive paper. It will not withstand time like the Museo Max but
would you need that for the students? Some UK online prices are 50% 
above the best prices you can get.

I think this paper is a spin-off from the media for (Eco)solvent, Latex
ink market of decoration art prints that asks for a much lower price.
May not even be an Innova product in origin. It prints good on my HP Zs
though, sharp etc.

Keith Cooper made a (limited) review of it:
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/paper/innova_ifa25.html

The other choice could be HP Matte Litho-Realistic, 275gsm. Smoother and
warmer than the paper above. More rigid paper base too. Aardenburg has
one test going. I suspect it will get warmer in time.

-- 
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2012: 500+ inkjet media paper white spectral plots.

There's a curve for Epson Enhanced Matte (Epson Ultra-Premium Presentation Paper Matte) included with the 4880-K7 install for quadtone rip.  We use that paper in our program as cheap draft and proofing paper.

We pay about $45 for a 17" roll through Shades of Paper.

It's a bit muddy in the blacks, but with QTR you should get some pretty decent results, especially with K7-Neutral.

We used to run that inkset in a 7600 but there wasn't enough interest with the students to justify the cost of the ink and upkeep of the printer.

Cheers,
Nick Enghardt
St. Edward's University Advanced Imaging Lab Manager

--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, Ernst Dinkla <e.dinkla@...> wrote:

>
> On 12/09/2012 04:46 AM, janbecket wrote:
> > Can anyone recommend a paper that hits the price / quality sweet
> > spot?
> >
> > I teach a high school photography class that is hybrid, part wet,
> > part digital, with many students scanning their negs on some V700s
> > and then printing to an Epson 4880. I have them import grayscale
> > images into Lightroom, do final tweaks, and then print from there via
> > QTR. The printer is loaded with the neutral K7 inkset.
> >
> > We print mostly 8X10 images vertical, two at a time, on 17" roll
> > paper - which is cheaper than sheets.
> >
> > We have gotten some very nice prints from Museo Max with the
> > MoabEntrada NW profile in QTR. I love the richness of the shadow
> > areas. However, what my budget allows is Inkpress Matte, at half the
> > price. I have been using the Epson VFA profile with ink limits set to
> > -15 in the advanced adjustments setting. I notice the difference in
> > the richness of the tones between the two papers, and some of the
> > advanced students notice as well.
> >
> > Is there a paper in the price range of the Inkpress that delivers
> > like the Museo Max? I\u02bbve thought of buying a custom Inkpress
> > profile from Inkjet Mall, but suspect that the prints still
> > won\u02bb;t have the tonal qualities we need.
> >
> >
> 
> The Innova Decor Art IFA24 (rolls) and IFA25 (dual sided, sheets only
> version) are cheap and have a high white reflectance, slightly warmer
> than neutral. 210-220 gsm, Lab 97.7 -0.3 1.9. Light texture, almost
> smooth. No OBA but I suspect a bleached paper base. Innova says Alpha
> Cellulose, Acid and Lignin free. I do not think Innova distributes it in
> the US but Hahnemühle recently introduced Harman by HM Matt Fibre Duo
> 210gsm which is by all indications the IFA25. Sheets only. If HM sets a
> price that comes anywhere near the Innova price I pay then you have an
> inexpensive paper. It will not withstand time like the Museo Max but
> would you need that for the students? Some UK online prices are 50% 
> above the best prices you can get.
> 
> I think this paper is a spin-off from the media for (Eco)solvent, Latex
> ink market of decoration art prints that asks for a much lower price.
> May not even be an Innova product in origin. It prints good on my HP Zs
> though, sharp etc.
> 
> Keith Cooper made a (limited) review of it:
> http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/paper/innova_ifa25.html
> 
> The other choice could be HP Matte Litho-Realistic, 275gsm. Smoother and
> warmer than the paper above. More rigid paper base too. Aardenburg has
> one test going. I suspect it will get warmer in time.
> 
> -- 
> Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla
> 
> http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
> December 2012: 500+ inkjet media paper white spectral plots.
>

Many thanks for the paper suggestions. Several people also contacted me via email. I was afraid that this was one of those pig\u02bbs ears / silk purses things, but it sounds like there may be some possibilities. I\u02bbll be purchasing small quantities of the papers folks on the list have mentioned, and running comparison tests this spring. Best wishes to all, Jan Becket

--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "janbecket" <janbecket.net@...> wrote:

>
> Can anyone recommend a paper that hits the price / quality sweet spot?
>