A question about paper weights

[Guigui]

Hello,

Believe it or not, I just realized that papers had different weights depending on wether they are in rolls or sheets. For instance, why is it that Ultrasmooth Fine Art is much lighter when it comes in a roll ? This is quite a disappointment to me since until now, I loved this paper partly because of its heavy feel (325g/sqm). I'm more comfortable working with heavy papers because I believe paper weight has an important impact on the way a customer evaluates the quality of the print.

I'd like to know the reasons behind these weight differences. Any ideas ?

[bill t.]

CURL!

Roll papers have a curl anywhere between mild and vicious.  The lower the weight, the less the curl.  Also thickness has something to do with, as in total roll diameter.   300gsm Optica1 is one of the heavier papers out there and the extreme curl requires extra-careful handling as it comes off the printer and is hung up to dry.  Really gets to be an issue with us panographers since our long prints will curl up on themselves 2 or 3 times when held vertically from an end.  I would greatly prefer a lighter weight version on the rolls.  IMHO weight impresses photographers more than customers who mostly concentrate on the image.  

[Guigui]

Right, the curl...I thought a D-Roller (the one that Michael shows in the Camera to Print tutorial) was the solution to curly prints.

My point in using rolls was to make economies of scale on small prints, not printing very large images like panoramic shots, so I'm not too worried about curls, especially if the D-Roller is as reliable as Michael says. The cost of paper/sqm is incredibly more expensive when using sheets. I guess I'll need to decide which is more important : small paper cost or heavy paper weight.

[bill t.]

Right, the curl...I thought a D-Roller (the one that Michael shows in the Camera to Print tutorial) was the solution to curly prints.

My point in using rolls was to make economies of scale on small prints, not printing very large images like panoramic shots, so I'm not too worried about curls, especially if the D-Roller is as reliable as Michael says. The cost of paper/sqm is incredibly more expensive when using sheets. I guess I'll need to decide which is more important : small paper cost or heavy paper weight.

The economies of convenience and time are considerable as well.  Rolls make it easy to print narrow test strips, scaled down test prints, etc all on the same media batch as the final print.  And there is much less media handling.

To remove curl I clip prints onto pieces of foamcore cut to the same width as the media.  I use office-supply binder clips.  The worst curl is gone within a day.  The foamcore makes it easy to manage prints while drying, several can be leaned up over each other against the wall.  Or with a hole at the top of the foamcore several can be hung from a single long screw in the wall.  The wide binder clips enforce a minimum spacing.