Epson Hot/Cold Pressed Papers

[Garnick]

Hello All,

I'm sure this topic has been addressed on this forum, perhaps several times.  However, at the risk of redundancy I'll through it out there one more time and beg your indulgence.

I'd like to get some feedback from any of your good folks who might be using the Hot/Cold Pressed Epson Papers. Issues such as image quality, handling, scratch and abrasion resistance etc. I'm considering an order soon to try a couple them, but I'd like to get some impressions from the experts first. My supplier here is a distributor for dealers and the sales fellow I deal with there says they've had very little interest in these papers to date, so I'm wondering how popular they are with the members on this group. I've recently heard rumblings about Epson dropping the Textured Fine Art line, so I'll be looking for a replacement for that paper as well.

Thanks in advance.
Gary

[howardm]

check Luminous Landscape

Mark D. did a quick run down on them a few months ago.

[eleanorbrown]

Hot press bright is a really beautiful paper worth a try. Eleanor

[Sven W]

And I use the Hot Press Natural a lot, sheets and rolls, for warm, smooth and matte. Most on B&W. No FBA like the HotPress Bright.
Canson Rag Photographique for the more neutral white, smooth and matte. Best for color.
Canson Baryta for glossy B&W and Epson Traditional for glossy color works.

/Sven

[natas]

I use the hot press natural and love it. Last year I was using epson ultra smooth and replaced it. The cold press has to much texture for my taste. Hot press IMHO prints great in b&w and color.

[davidh202]

Might be best to get a couple of these sample paks and try them out for yourself

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductQuickSpec.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63089862&category=

[PhotoArchivist]

I do not see the Hot Press paper listed on the Epson Store website.  Do you have to get it elsewhere?

Stephen

[davidh202]

They are listed in the pro media choices for each pro printer not in the consumer papers.
Choose the printer from the drop down menu on this page
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/MediaStylusPro7900.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&mediaFor=StylusPro7900

  go to the different tabs for paper selections eg (fine art).
If you are in the US of A you can get much better prices at atlex.com  or proimagingsupplies.com than buying direct from the  Epson store

[PhotoArchivist]

Thanks!  We will probably get it from somewhere else. (Yes, I'm in USA.) I just wanted to be sure it was still being offered by Epson so that if we bought it from a third party vendor, and then started in on a longer term project, it would likely still be around.

The brightener issue, however, may rule out the Epson papers.  We're thinking about a couple of the Canson papers: Rag Photographique and Platine Fibre Rag.  I am wanting something that will look like a traditional photographic paper as we print scans made historical negatives (black-and-white and color) and color transparencies from the 1940s through the 2000s. These prints will be framed.  Past experience with Epson Ultra Premium Matte for scans of black-and-white negatives made in the 1930s and earlier have looked great behind glass.  I want to explore other papers, however, for this specific project that covers a wider range of dates and styles of work.

Stephen

[Alan Goldhammer]

The brightener issue, however, may rule out the Epson papers.  We're thinking about a couple of the Canson papers: Rag Photographique and Platine Fibre Rag.  I am wanting something that will look like a traditional photographic paper as we print scans made historical negatives (black-and-white and color) and color transparencies from the 1940s through the 2000s. These prints will be framed.  Past experience with Epson Ultra Premium Matte for scans of black-and-white negatives made in the 1930s and earlier have looked great behind glass.  I want to explore other papers, however, for this specific project that covers a wider range of dates and styles of work.

Stephen

Hot Press Natural does not have OBAs in it.  The two Canson papers you mention have different surfaces; Photogaphique is matte and Platine is gloss.  Epson UPM has very high concentrations of OBAs and these fade rather quickly so I would not dismiss the Epson Hot Press Bright as an alternative.

[Mike Guilbault]

I've tried both colour and BW with the Epson trial pack and love both the Hot and Cold Press Naturals.  I'm on my first roll of Cold Press Natural and for the images I've selected to print so far, I like the texture too.  Others may not, but I do. However, I can see where the Hot Press Natural may have an edge for certain images. 

Aside from the 'Brights' having OBA's, I found them a little too bright.  Once you take the Naturals away from the Brights, they seem bright enough on their own. And for images that have whites close to the paper white, I prefer the slightly warmer tones of the Naturals.

[Sven W]

Thanks!  We will probably get it from somewhere else. (Yes, I'm in USA.) I just wanted to be sure it was still being offered by Epson so that if we bought it from a third party vendor, and then started in on a longer term project, it would likely still be around.

The brightener issue, however, may rule out the Epson papers.  We're thinking about a couple of the Canson papers: Rag Photographique and Platine Fibre Rag.  I am wanting something that will look like a traditional photographic paper as we print scans made historical negatives (black-and-white and color) and color transparencies from the 1940s through the 2000s. These prints will be framed.  Past experience with Epson Ultra Premium Matte for scans of black-and-white negatives made in the 1930s and earlier have looked great behind glass.  I want to explore other papers, however, for this specific project that covers a wider range of dates and styles of work.

Stephen

When I have printed historical images for some museums, they always choose a warm-tone paper:
For matte: Ep Hot Press Natural
For semigloss: Canson Platine
For gloss: Canson Baryta and Innova Warmtone

/Sven
(Attached image by Guillaume Berggren, albumin print, Istanbul early 1900)

[PhotoArchivist]

Those warm tones look great . . . especially for 19th century albumen and early 20th century toned prints.  This project, however, highlights photographs made from late 1930s forward, so neutral black-and-white paper is what we'll need—especially one that works with color, too.

If you'd like to know more about the photographer whose work we're printing for an exhibit, then please check out the blog, "A View to Hugh" at http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/morton/.

Thanks for all the input thus far . . . really appreciate it!

Stephen