What's your favorite paper to use with the z3100/z3200?

[kurt765]

A friend of mine has a z3100. Currently, this is the only access I have to such a printer. He has offered to let me use this printer to do some printing, and I am wondering what people's favorite papers are so I can have a starting point.
I'm going to be printing landscapes, black and white and color. I think I'm mostly interested in glossy papers, although I may try a good matte paper for a few shots.

What do you guys recommend I start with?

Thanks,
-Kurt

[adiallo]

The Ilford GGFS is a great paper, particularly, but certainly not exclusively for, BW. If you want to stick with HP papers, the Professional Satin is perhaps most appropriate for fine art work. Not overly glossy or "blue" and a fairly smooth surface.

[dkeyes]

HP Pro Satin is my standard paper on this printer. It's the smoothest of the satin bunch that performs well on this printer. The HP ID Satin is more blue, I'm not a fan because of this characteristic. The HP ID gloss is very nice as well but the gloss ink (clear) doesn't match the surface gloss so it becomes more satin in the end.

[kers]

The Ilford GGFS is a great paper, particularly, but certainly not exclusively for, BW. If you want to stick with HP papers, the Professional Satin is perhaps most appropriate for fine art work. Not overly glossy or "blue" and a fairly smooth surface.

I have used the Iflord Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper.... but got a lot of gloss differential.

Do you know how to avoid that?  than pleae let me know how!

I am using now ( only black and white)  Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta and Epson Traditional Photo paper- both have less Gloss differential and give beautiful prints-

The Epson paper contains whiteners though.

For colour I use HP satin pro paper.

It is a pity that not more papers react well on the Gloss enhancer.

The HP Baryte Satin Art paper  Is a bad choice- and wast of time and money; No deep blacks.  ( all these names.....)

[adiallo]

I have used the Iflord Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper.... but got a lot of gloss differential.

Do you know how to avoid that?  than pleae let me know how!

HP would say buy a 3200   . On that printer you can control the amount of GE that goes down. Seriously though, you have to either spray or load the Ilford as HP Baryta (then calibrate/profile of course). This greatly reduces bronzing, but other problems come up in place of it. I do know some printmakers who have gotten this combo to work but I got poor results (except for the bronzing reduction). So it's really an issue of heavier amounts of GE being laid down. Truth be told, with a print hanging vertically as it would be on a wall with glazing, no one's going to be able to see the bronzing.

[Roscolo]

HP ID Satin and HP Matte Litho are my 2 favorite papers for the z3100, although I did not know the HP ID Satin may be more "blue" than the Pro Satin, so maybe I should give the Pro Satin a whirl. I thought the only difference was the Pro Satin was heavier.

I don't think the HP Pro Satin is available any wider than 36", so that's a negative for me.

[adiallo]

I don't think the HP Pro Satin is available any wider than 36", so that's a negative for me.

Pro Satin comes in 44 inch rolls. It's a much different paper than ID Satin in base color, weight and thickness. Gamuts are not identical but similar.

[rickk]

Another vote for HP Pro Satin as the best all-around compromise I've found yet. The Ilford Gold Fiber Silk looks good too (except for the bronzing issue mentioned above on some prints). Initial results on Hahnemuhle Bamboo show it has good potential as well.

Rick

[howseth]

Perhaps, it's a "specialty paper" - and it is expensive - but I have been using 17" and 24" rolls of Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin - almost exclusively - because of the special type of "Satin" finish it has.

Howard

[Colorwave]

I also love the PR Satin, and was sorry to hear that it has been discontinued, but also find that it only works for a certain type of image.  Things that are very light and open, or very graphic work well.  If the images are mostly dark, it looks rather distracting to have just a few light areas that aren't glossy.  Just my opinion, of course.  I just tried staining a large print of a irregularly pulled, highly distressed polaroid image with tea.  It took the tea rather well, and wound up with more overall sheen than before the dip in tea.  You never know until you try . . .

Perhaps, it's a "specialty paper" - and it is expensive - but I have been using 17" and 24" rolls of Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin - almost exclusively - because of the special type of "Satin" finish it has.

Howard

[Geoff Wittig]

A friend of mine has a z3100. Currently, this is the only access I have to such a printer. He has offered to let me use this printer to do some printing, and I am wondering what people's favorite papers are so I can have a starting point.
I'm going to be printing landscapes, black and white and color. I think I'm mostly interested in glossy papers, although I may try a good matte paper for a few shots.

What do you guys recommend I start with?

Thanks,
-Kurt

1) HP pro satin has overall image quality that's very hard to top. The d-max is excellent, color gamut very good, and the surface texture is very smooth & subtle without being too shiny. You can't really beat this paper on the Z3100, unless you want something without the plastic hand feel.

2) Hahnemüle Photo rag baryta is really nice. The surface texture is a very fine stipple, sort of like Epson's premium luster but finer and more 'organic' looking. I didn't like it that much at first, but it's really grown on me over time. D-max is good, color gamut good for everything except very saturated reds, and hand feel is wonderful. It's great for black & white prints.

3) Hahnemüle Photo rag pearl- the surface texture has more of the typical photo rag eggshell finish, which works fine with large prints but may be a bit much for small prints. The color gamut is better than for the baryta version, especially in the deep saturated reds/oranges, where this paper really shines. Hand feel is again lovely, like all the cotton rag papers.

[Roscolo]

Pro Satin comes in 44 inch rolls. It's a much different paper than ID Satin in base color, weight and thickness. Gamuts are not identical but similar.

Thanks. The reason I thought it didn't come in 44" rolls was because it is not listed on ITSupplies website, my main supplier. I gave them a call though, and they do carry it in 44"x50' rolls currently for $159.10.  The part number is Q8840A  for any other folks who order from them. Guess I'll try a roll sometime soon.

[howseth]

[/quote]I also love the PR Satin, and was sorry to hear that it has been discontinued, but also find that it only works for a certain type of image. Things that are very light and open, or very graphic work well. If the images are mostly dark, it looks rather distracting to have just a few light "

What? Discontinued! Since when? - It is still listed at the Hahnemuhle web site and elsewhwere - no mention of it being discontinued. Are you sure? Are we talking about the same paper?  ...  Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin.

Howard

[Colorwave]

What? Discontinued! Since when? - It is still listed at the Hahnemuhle web site and elsewhwere - no mention of it being discontinued. Are you sure? Are we talking about the same paper?  ...  Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin.
Howard

Sorry to spread misinformation, Howard.  I was told by Inkjet Art that it was being discontinued and that they were not expecting more, but it must have been a rumor.  This was in early December, and several online vendors were out of stock at the time.   A quick Google search now shows lots of vendors stocking it, so I must have been misinformed, and I obviously didn't double check.  Makes me glad I didn't buy the three 44" rolls they had at the time in an effort to horde it, though, if there isn't a finite quantity of the stuff.  Long live PR Satin.

[kers]

I am lost in abbreviations..

PR satin is that Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin or is it  HP Professional Satin Photo Paper ?

and are we talking about performance on a Z3100 or Z3200?

by the way Is the Z3200 a clear improvement over the Z3100?  (-the reds on matte paper)


let me know..

Pieter kers

[howseth]

Yes, the photo paper names can get confusing when abbreviated.

Thanks Ron for clearing up the Photo Rag Satin mystery - probably the venders also get confused with the paper names. I have been doing photo a long time - and the discontinuation of ones favorite papers -going back to those wet darkroom days - was always a cause for shedding tears.

Howard

[Jim Cole]

Another vote for HP Pro Satin for color and HM Photo Rag Baryta for black and white.

[jacland]

BTW,
where can I find profile for HP Professional Satin Photo?

[Miles]

If you are looking for glossy paper, I have had good luck with Kodak Professional.  Much less expensive that many of the others discussed here and it will give nice results.

[peteh]

The Ilford GGFS is a great paper, particularly, but certainly not exclusively for, BW. If you want to stick with HP papers, the Professional Satin is perhaps most appropriate for fine art work. Not overly glossy or "blue" and a fairly smooth surface.

I like HP Pro Satin also.