Equivalent/Identical Papers

[SeskaLien]

I've come across a few threads here talking about papers that seem to be identical—i.e. the metallic papers from Red River, Mitsubishi, and Moab; Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique and Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk, etc. Is there any place here or on another site that anyone's come across where there's a somewhat comprehensive list of this kind of information? I'm pretty new to doing my own prints and I want to make sure I use good quality paper so my prints will last without paying a lot more than I should be. I have an Epson 3880 and have been doing most of my prints on Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss after some experimenting to figure out which paper I liked best for my photos (slight gloss without being highly reflective).

[texshooter]

You'll probably end up doing what I'm doing right now. Buy sample packs from Hahnemuhle, Harman, Moab, RedRiver, Epson, etc. then print this color test chart using the manufacturer's ICC profiles.
http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html

Then print this image using the Epson advanced BW mode. I don't know where you'll find the BW ICC profiles for the Epson 3880.
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/black_and_white_test.html

Print all the PK black jobs in one batch and the MK black jobs on another.

Plan on an all day'er.

[Sven W]

These statements will definitely be denied by the manufacturers  
They all claim that their products are unique and that the production processes are secret.

But on the other hand; there aren't that many paper mills and different coatings out there.
What plays an important role is how carefully and "scientific" the producers test the products with all the ink and printer combos.
One way to figure it out is to look at the icc profile quality and profile services they provide.
With a spectrophotometer it's easy to test and determine the profiles accuracy.

/Sven

[Alan Goldhammer]

I would add to what Swen posted the quality control steps that the manufacturer has put in place to control inter-batch consistency.  We've seen some recent posts about issues Museo has had when they had to switch paper suppliers.

[howardm]

Ernst Dinkla has a great database Java tool that shows the spectral response of 250 different papers

[pikeys]

I found this :
  http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/index.htm.

I was searching a while back for a paper that would be a close match for the Canson Platine ,and ordered a box of this;

 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/709680-REG/Harman_By_Hahnemuhle_13633008_Gloss_Art_Fiber_Inkjet.html

These two papers are very similar, the Harman has a whiter base,and a slightly heavier stipple.
Both are beautiful papers, imho.
Just some additional options for you.

Hope this info helps

Mike


 

[Alan Goldhammer]

Ernst Dinkla has a great database Java tool that shows the spectral response of 250 different papers

And another good database is here.

[neile]

Thanks for sharing the link, Alan

Neil

[MichaelWorley]

I don't know where you'll find the BW ICC profiles for the Epson 3880.
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/black_and_white_test.html

Print all the PK black jobs in one batch and the MK black jobs on another.

Plan on an all day'er.

Eric Chan has been working on B&W icc profiles, and has several posted here while he continues to produce others:

http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3880/abwprofiles.html

Mike

[texshooter]

while he continues to produce others:

His last update was April 10, 2010. I doubt he'll continue.

[MichaelWorley]

His last update was April 10, 2010. I doubt he'll continue.

If you look closely [his entries are out of order] his latest update was March 23, 2011. I don't know the papers he's talking about, and other BW icc profiles are scattered throughout his list of updates. Perhaps that's all he intends to cover. Looks like a pretty good list. He seems to be moving to cover the 3880 as thoroughly as the 3800, so a comparison with his 3800 BW icc profiles might indicate how far he's going.

[Sven W]

I found this :
  http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/index.htm.

I was searching a while back for a paper that would be a close match for the Canson Platine ,and ordered a box of this;

 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/709680-REG/Harman_By_Hahnemuhle_13633008_Gloss_Art_Fiber_Inkjet.html

These two papers are very similar, the Harman has a whiter base,and a slightly heavier stipple.
Both are beautiful papers, imho.
Just some additional options for you.

Hope this info helps

Mike

I would say that they are quite different.
The Platine is a semigloss cotton paper and the H/H is a glossy baryta paper.
When printed, the H/H shows a higher D-Max and a larger color gamut volume, compared to the Platine.

/S

[KeithR]

I would say that they are quite different.
The Platine is a semigloss cotton paper and the H/H is a glossy baryta paper.
When printed, the H/H shows a higher D-Max and a larger color gamut volume, compared to the Platine.

/S

I just checked the spec sheet on the H/H and it has OBA's(it's listed simply as "yes") where as the Canson Platine has no OBA's. Also the Harman Gloss Art Fibre is NOT a baryta paper.
http://harman.hahnemuehle.com/site/en/820/products.html

[pikeys]

Sven,

Thanks for the clarification......


Mike