Question - Epson Hot Press Bright on rolls

[Greg D]

I recently tried a sample of Epson Hot Press Bright paper (on a 3880) and really liked the result, sharper & contrastier than most matte papers I've tried.  Doesn't come in the 17 x 25 size I want, so considering buying a roll.  My question is - How much "roll memory" does this paper have?  I've used some Epson luster paper on a roll and it was nearly impossible to flatten.  Other matte papers I've used didn't seem so bad in this regard, but they were all thinner than the Hot Press Bright.  I know about the de-roller and can't justify the cost for my use.  I do have a home-made version, but it works imperfectly with stiff papers.  Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg

[Paul2660]

I use quite a bit of Epson Hot Press natural and Bright, yes it has a lot of curl, most of the 300 W matte papers will by default.  However I have the d-roller and one pass and it will totally flatten out matte papers.  RC with memory is harder to work with, but matte is easy.

You might try another home-made version, with a tigher roll?  I agree the d-roller is a bit expensive and it's not made all that well either.  Mine has cracked and the edge tapes have all moved over the years.  Still gets the job done.

Paul

[John V.]

I just went through about 5 rolls of HPB. All prints seemed to flatten out after a few days in a bag. Prints from the end of the roll curled more. Prints with minimal ink coverage (ie B&W with large white areas) curled more. There rest came out pretty flat right out of the printer. All prints were sized 16x20 up to 30x40. It wasn't a major problem for me.

[Greg D]

You might try another home-made version, with a tigher roll? 
Paul

That's a thought, any ideas?  Mine is just a 1.5" PVC pipe with a plastic sleeve taped to it.  The problem is that with a stiff paper it's hard to get the end of the piece to lay completely flat against the pipe, so there's a little "bump" that can make slight creases when the paper's rolled around it.

[Paul2660]

Are you rolling with the print in a diagonal to the roller or straight on to the roller?  Straight. On leaves a bump no matter what brand but if you take the print in at a 45 degree angle to the roller you prevent the bump.

The bump the roller creates is just like the bump seen in most roll paper towards the end of the roll.

Paul

[hugowolf]

What makes the D-roller different from home-made versions, is the 1 mm thick strips down the edges. It removes the chance of those compression creases caused by the leading/trailing edge.

Not that it doesn't have its own problems.

Brian A

[Greg D]

Are you rolling with the print in a diagonal to the roller or straight on to the roller?  Straight. On leaves a bump no matter what brand but if you take the print in at a 45 degree angle to the roller you prevent the bump.

The bump the roller creates is just like the bump seen in most roll paper towards the end of the roll.

Paul

Aha!  I've been rolling it straight.  Thanks!

[dwswager]

I recently tried a sample of Epson Hot Press Bright paper (on a 3880) and really liked the result, sharper & contrastier than most matte papers I've tried.  Doesn't come in the 17 x 25 size I want, so considering buying a roll.  My question is - How much "roll memory" does this paper have?  I've used some Epson luster paper on a roll and it was nearly impossible to flatten.  Other matte papers I've used didn't seem so bad in this regard, but they were all thinner than the Hot Press Bright.  I know about the de-roller and can't justify the cost for my use.  I do have a home-made version, but it works imperfectly with stiff papers.  Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg

I'm relatively new to roll paper and have been using Hot Press Bright and Exhibition Fiber.  Both are stiff with a good amount of curl.  I bought 24" rolls and cut them on a 24"" Rotatrimmer.  I print on a Epson 3880.  Just did 2 14 x 20 prints yesterday.  I find the hardest thing is actually getting the paper fed into the trimmer to do the curl.  I find that once I cut and let sit a little and then run it through the printer, the paper flattens almost by itself.  Since most of these are getting mounted or framed, a minor amount of curl that remains gets removed in that process.  Most of my prints have the paper going into the printer perpendicular to the curl.  If I was cutting 17" rolls and feeding them it might not work out so well and I might find I need a little more effort to decurl the paper.

One caveat is that how bad and long the curl lasts depends on how tight the roll is wound.  If I let it unwind a bit and rest, it is much easier to handle than if I wind it tight for storage and then try to work with it right from that stage.

[Paul Roark]

I'm not sure if this is a service that is readily available, but I found Premier Imaging would sell me custom cuts.  I dislike roll paper but like a 1x2 format.  So, among other things, I as able to get 24x48" sheets cut and boxed.  The matte paper I use most is 325 gsm version of their Smooth Hot Press.  See http://www.premierimagingproducts.com/pm_smoothhp.php .  I like it better than Epson's version. 

Premier is not going to be producing the paper much longer, moving to its "Generations Alise" line.  See http://www.premierimagingproducts.com/pg_alisefineart.php .  I've had some good feedback regarding the "Museum" version of that paper. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

[Jeff Magidson]

I recently tried a sample of Epson Hot Press Bright paper (on a 3880) and really liked the result, sharper & contrastier than most matte papers I've tried.  Doesn't come in the 17 x 25 size I want,
Thanks,
Greg

I does however come in 17"x22" 25 sheets /box

[Greg D]

I does however come in 17"x22" 25 sheets /box

Right, but I like to be able to print 3:2, and that would limit me to 14x21-ish.

[Greg D]

I'm relatively new to roll paper and have been using Hot Press Bright and Exhibition Fiber.  Both are stiff with a good amount of curl.  I bought 24" rolls and cut them on a 24"" Rotatrimmer.  I print on a Epson 3880.  Just did 2 14 x 20 prints yesterday.  I find the hardest thing is actually getting the paper fed into the trimmer to do the curl.  I find that once I cut and let sit a little and then run it through the printer, the paper flattens almost by itself.  Since most of these are getting mounted or framed, a minor amount of curl that remains gets removed in that process.  Most of my prints have the paper going into the printer perpendicular to the curl.  If I was cutting 17" rolls and feeding them it might not work out so well and I might find I need a little more effort to decurl the paper.

One caveat is that how bad and long the curl lasts depends on how tight the roll is wound.  If I let it unwind a bit and rest, it is much easier to handle than if I wind it tight for storage and then try to work with it right from that stage.

Thanks for this - good idea about unwinding it.

[hugowolf]

There is also the option of US ARCH D (24" x 36") sheets, but not for Epson hot and cold pressed papers. Canson, Hahnemühle. Moab, and Museo supply some papers in this size. They are flat to start with, so no curl to deal with. They cut down to two 17" x 24" sheets with only two inches of waste. Or four 12" x 18", or two 12" x 36" sheets for panoramas.

There are also some papers available in A2, which is a better ratio for 3:2 images. But again, not Epson hot and cold pressed papers.

Brian A

[dwswager]

Thanks for this - good idea about unwinding it.

Yeah, I would love to have a stand to hold 2 rolls of paper that I could cover.  That way the top part of the rolls would be much more relaxed.  As it is, I keep it rolled reasonably tight, in the bag, in the original box.  So when I know I want to print something big, I take the roll out ahead of time and let it relax.

BTW, I also cut some sheets at my preferred sizes and put them in a 18 x 24  black portfolio so they are basically relaxed and flat when I need them.