Ilford paper profiles - help please!

[DavidPalermo]

I want to print color using my older Epson 3800 printer and Ilford doesn't have Textured Cotton Rag or Smooth Cotton Rag on their website.  Do any of you know alternatives?  I have emailed Ilford but have not heard back yet.  I also want to know the media type for these papers.

Thanks!

David

[Mark D Segal]

Both papers are on their website: http://ilford.com/products/galerie-prestige/smooth-cotton-rag-310gsm; http://ilford.com/products/galerie-prestige/textured-cotton-rag-310gsm. They don't have profiles for those papers for your printer, but they do for the 3880, which you could try: http://ilford.com/printer-profile-list?shs_term_node_tid_depth=127&shs_term_node_tid_depth_1=234. They indicate the Epson Media Type as Enhanced Matte Paper, which is for most intents and purposes the same thing as Ultra Premium Presentation Matte. Perhaps download those profiles and give them a try.

[DavidPalermo]

Thank you very much for the suggestion and I have thought of that but I like to get the proper profile first if there is one and go from there.  I may just switch to Canson or Hahnemuhle paper.  Looking for a great matte paper with no OBA's.  My preference is Gold Cotton Smooth but Canson "Prink Making Paper" is a good one too.

[Mark D Segal]

However you wish, but it would cost you a piece of paper and about 15 minutes to find out whether my suggestion works or not; if it does you have a solution that allows you to keep using the paper you like and know; if it doesn't your other proposals are worth exploring, but be mindful of course that the model 3800 is very dated by now, so there is a question about which paper vendors continue to support profiling them.

[DavidPalermo]

Why do you have to sound so logical!?  lol.  Yes I will give it a try.  The thing I always am concerned with about trying things like that is will it look "better" with the "right" profile or by using the "wrong" profile on an old printer!?  The only way to find out is to do both and compare.  Unfortunately I only have an older printer! 

[Mark D Segal]

You have a point that comparison is often very helpful in distinguishing between good quality and superior quality, but under the circumstances you should be able to discern whether it satisfies your criteria for acceptability - especially if you use a printer evaluation target with well-known "memory" colours. The http://www.outbackphoto.com/printinginsights/pi048/essay.html is particularly suitable for this.