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Author Topic: Good papers in 13 inch rolls  (Read 1178 times)

Frodo

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Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« on: August 07, 2017, 04:48:55 pm »

Enjoying my new Epson P600, but would like to go wider than A3+.  I often shoot landscape in a 1:2 format, sometimes wider, and this means cropping the A3+ down, making for a small print.
I'm looking for a lustre/smooth pearl (or a good semi-gloss) paper for colour and a matt, preferably non-resin coated, lightly textured paper for black and white (like Ilford Fine Art Smooth).  I will be selling some of these prints.
The problem is getting good paper in 13 inch rolls, at least here in New Zealand.  17 inch roll paper is much easier to find.  Epson Premium Semi-Gloss is available in a 13 inch roll, but I have struggled to find much else.
I have considered buying A2 paper and cutting this down to 13 inch, but A2 is quite a lot more expensive than A3+ (e.g. $89 vs $149 for Ilford Smooth Pearl - NZD) for just an extra 11cm in width.
Another option is to cut 24 inch rolls into 12 inch high.  24 inch rolls are also readily available.
I will buy some Epson Premium Semi-Gloss to see how it goes.
Your suggestions appreciated.
Thanks
« Last Edit: August 07, 2017, 06:11:23 pm by Frodo »
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unesco

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2017, 04:27:37 pm »

You may try Tecco paper. Number of models are available in 13" roll format. It is easily accessible in Europe, as far as I remember, there is also distributor in Australia. Tecco manufactures papers also for Epson and Canon (now, Tecco and Ilford have the same ownership, some papers are identical).
Epson Premium Semiglossy is a very good satin like paper, I do not think you can find anything significantly better in its class.
You may also have a look at 12" rols, some manufacturers make them instead of 13".
If you have no experience with cutting and appropriate tools and space it can be struggling.
Good luck.
P.S. I will be in NZ in late autumn, but not for printing purposes :-)
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Frodo

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2017, 03:44:08 pm »

I ran some tests on the Epson sampler pack and some other papers and have fallen in love with Cold Press Natural for big prints. The bright papers are too bright for my style of black and white, and the texture of Cold Press is just right for big prints.

I see that Epson make Cold Press Natural in 24 inch by 15m rolls, that is available from a specialist wide paper supplier. I will cut 12 inch high sheets out of this roll for my panoramic photos.

Unesco, drop in for a coffee should you pass north of Wellington - my wife runs an AirBnb if you need a bed.
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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2017, 03:45:12 am »

I ran some tests on the Epson sampler pack and some other papers and have fallen in love with Cold Press Natural for big prints. The bright papers are too bright for my style of black and white, and the texture of Cold Press is just right for big prints.

I see that Epson make Cold Press Natural in 24 inch by 15m rolls, that is available from a specialist wide paper supplier. I will cut 12 inch high sheets out of this roll for my panoramic photos.

Unesco, drop in for a coffee should you pass north of Wellington - my wife runs an AirBnb if you need a bed.

You could reverse roll the paper onto another core some days before you start cutting. Chances are better that the sheets remain flat then. Stack them per 10, print side up, print side down and put a paper in between the 10s that describes which side is up or down.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
March 2017 update, 750+ inkjet media white spectral plots
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unesco

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2017, 04:34:03 pm »

I ran some tests on the Epson sampler pack and some other papers and have fallen in love with Cold Press Natural for big prints. The bright papers are too bright for my style of black and white, and the texture of Cold Press is just right for big prints.

I see that Epson make Cold Press Natural in 24 inch by 15m rolls, that is available from a specialist wide paper supplier. I will cut 12 inch high sheets out of this roll for my panoramic photos.

Unesco, drop in for a coffee should you pass north of Wellington - my wife runs an AirBnb if you need a bed.
Hot/Cold Press are one of the greatest papers ever made. I love Hot Press Natural. You can try -> they allow for double side printing - and have special coating on both sides.
I don't know about prices in NZ but in Europe they are twice as expensive as in the US, thus I use it only for high end prints.
P.S. Thank you for coffee invitation :-). I will write to you a PM in the weekend.
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Frodo

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2017, 06:20:26 pm »

Here is my solution.  I bought a 24 inch roll of cold press natural.  By the way, Epson cold press is about the mid-price range of similar papers here in NZ (NZD 250 for a 50 foot roll delivered).
I fixed the plastic pieces that support the roll in the box to a cupboard (which is fixed to wall - protection against earthquakes in Wellington!) and the other to a hinged bracket off the wall.  I have placed the trimmed back delivery box over the roll to keep dust out.  Humidity (either too much or too little) is not a problem here.
I can then roll out as much paper as I need.  I've decided that a 13 inch by 24 inch is a good size and a format that I often use.  This also retains two parallel edges compared to cutting the paper lengthwise.
Paper curl is a problem and it does not feed into the front slot of the printer unless flattened as Ernst notes.
I find that this is a cost-effective solution to producing my preferred print sizes.

A question: this does change the orientation of texture, which tends to run vertically in a landscape print.  Do you have any preferences in texture orientation? This will depend on whether the light is from above or the side.

I've attached three images:
- The roll retracted
- The roll extended for cutting
- My first large print (13x24 inch) with this paper (resized original, rather than photo of the print.).  Forest along the Hollyford Track in the southwest of NZ's South ISland.

Thanks for your help.

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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Good papers in 13 inch rolls
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2017, 02:08:41 pm »



A question: this does change the orientation of texture, which tends to run vertically in a landscape print.  Do you have any preferences in texture orientation? This will depend on whether the light is from above or the side.


Thanks for your help.

With a few papers that have the texture more pronounced in one direction you will notice a shadow effect difference when used vertical or horizontal. The HM Suger Cane is one I recall having that effect. The sample of Epson Cold Press I have here does not change much in either direction in my opinion.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
March 2017 update, 750+ inkjet media white spectral plots
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