Choosing a smooth matte paper for Epson 3880

[BobShaw]

I am using Canson BFK Rives and it is very good. I also have Hahnemuehle Photo Rag. The only issue with that is a small gamut.
I recently attended a workshop with one of the top professional portrait and wedding photographers and was surprised to see them using Epson Hot Press Natural. I will certainly be giving it a go as it's half the price.

[donbga]

What matt papers have equal or similar DMAX as Epson VFA?

[howardm]

VFA *is* a matte paper.  In larger sizes, it's moderately lightweight of 260 works against it but as I said, I was really liking the Moab Somerset Museum Rag paper.  Do *not* confuse it w/ Moab's Velvet which isn't anywhere near as good a gamut or Dmax.

[Conner999]

Another vote for Epson Hot Press (I prefer the Bright White) for deep blacks, color and smooth texture. That said, I'll give the Moab Somerset Rag a  try. Liked VFA, just wished a bit thicker. That and I'm sick & tired of having to buy Epson paper from CDN retailers vs. my fave supplier, B&H due to Epson-imposed import restrictions.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Confused. All the papers suggested so far seem to be cotton-based. What wood-pulp-based papers should I be looking at?

The smoothest I know is the HP Matte Litho-Realistic 270 gsm. Alpha Cellulose and no OBA content, so warm white. I still have an old production roll, no experience with the new production version that BMG distributes now. Only available in rolls from 24" wide and up so it has to be cut.

There is the Innova IFA25 and IFA25 with similar properties, that is also available with other brand name disguises, but it has more texture than Photorag.

Otherwise I do not know papers that qualify to your criteria; matte, supersmooth, gallery wall white. The last I interpret as without OBA content. Innova has matte Fiber qualities but they contain OBAs, a lot of other mainstream inkjet papers fall in a similar category. Longevity is probably not asked as it will be mounted on MDF.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[elliot_n]

I wondered when I asked for 'gallery wall white' whether white matte emulsion paint contains OBAs?

[Ernst Dinkla]

I wondered when I asked for 'gallery wall white' whether white matte emulsion paint contains OBAs?

I did not think it was a precise description of a white :-)
When there is OBA content in it, the next question is whether that wall paint optical brightener is still effective.
A wise gallery owner would avoid a paint like that I think.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[elliot_n]

Galleries with white walls tend to have them repainted quite frequently, so if there are OBAs in white paint, they are likely to be active. But I think there probably aren't.

[Arlen]

I hate paper texture. I recently tried the Canson Baryta Photographique that everyone raves about, but I can't live with the texture. I much prefer the smooth surface of Harman by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta (though I wish the paper wouldn't curl).

When I selected my "standard" matte paper, I was also looking for something that had minimal texture. Like several others in this thread, I now use mostly Epson Hot Press Natural, and I like it a lot. I think it has about as smooth a surface as you'll find in a matte paper, as well as having among the best in Dmax and color gamut. But if the amount of texture in Canson Baryta Photographique (a glossy paper) is too much for you, I think you are going to have a hard time finding a matte paper that is as smooth as you want. Of course I haven't tried every matte paper, so I could be wrong; maybe someone else will speak up if they know of a matte paper with a smoother surface than CBP.

[hugowolf]

When I selected my "standard" matte paper, I was also looking for something that had minimal texture. Like several others in this thread, I now use mostly Epson Hot Press Natural, and I like it a lot. I think it has about as smooth a surface as you'll find in a matte paper, as well as having among the best in Dmax and color gamut. But if the amount of texture in Canson Baryta Photographique (a glossy paper) is too much for you, I think you are going to have a hard time finding a matte paper that is as smooth as you want. Of course I haven't tried every matte paper, so I could be wrong; maybe someone else will speak up if they know of a matte paper with a smoother surface than CBP.

Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Epson Archival Matte, Canon Coated Matte 170, etc. There are loads of wood pulp based papers with much smoother surfaces than any of the cotton based papers/ I have yet to find one without a boat load of OBA content, but they are all much smoother.

And some of the proofing papers are much smoother too, and often with possible minimal OBA content, but they tend to be expensive.

Brian A

[Arlen]

Thanks, Brian. After I posted, and was away from the computer, I realized that Epson Archival/Enhanced/Ultra Premium Presentation Matte is certainly an example of a smoother matte paper. It just doesn't have the other properties that I look for in a high quality paper. Useful for cheaper proofing, but not for final prints to be displayed, in my opinion.

[Jglaser757]

When I selected my "standard" matte paper, I was also looking for something that had minimal texture. Like several others in this thread, I now use mostly Epson Hot Press Natural, and I like it a lot. I think it has about as smooth a surface as you'll find in a matte paper, as well as having among the best in Dmax and color gamut. But if the amount of texture in Canson Baryta Photographique (a glossy paper) is too much for you, I think you are going to have a hard time finding a matte paper that is as smooth as you want. Of course I haven't tried every matte paper, so I could be wrong; maybe someone else will speak up if they know of a matte paper with a smoother surface than CBP.

And another vote for hot press natural. I reviewed everything out there without OBAs and this one worked great for me.