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Author Topic: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag  (Read 6053 times)

uintaangler

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Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« on: April 15, 2012, 01:45:42 pm »

I am still new to Printing and I am not smart enough to think of any other way to find the best printing paper for particular images than trial and error
I have purchased a few Sampler Packs ( Moab, Hahnemuehle, Epson, Museo ) and stick with the Matte papers
Yesterday I decided to try out MUSEO PORTFOLIO RAG on an image, downloaded the ICC profile for my printer from the Museo website and the results on this image were terrible - washed out colors.
It was an image of a Death Valley Sand Dune if that matters
I was so surprised by the result that I tried it again on my favorite ( so far ) paper.... MOAB Entrada Rag Natural - and it turned out much, much better
I continued the experiment by printing two other images using the last two sheets of Museo Portfolio Rag in the sampler pack and each time the image came out far better on the Moab Entrada Rag Natural


What should I make of this?

***Are there good papers that don't perform well on particular printers?
***Could it be that the Moab ICC profile for my printer is a better profile than the Museo profile for thier paper?


Any comments from more experienced printers would be greatly appreciated as a way of speeding up my learning curve

Thanks,
Bob
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2012, 03:13:36 pm »

I don't know the MOAB papers at all but have done a lot of printing on Portfolio Rag and find the results just as fine as with Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth and Canson Rag Photographique.  I don't print much on the paper any longer because of fading issues that have been identified in the Aardenburg tests (but to be sure such fading will only show up after a considerable period of time).  I prepared my own profiles for all three papers but in some very early testing didn't see much of a problem with the Museo profiles.

Alan
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uintaangler

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2012, 04:42:24 pm »

Alan, thanks for your response
So, if you are saying you have had no issues using Museo Portfolio Rag on your 3880, can you suggest what may have caused my unsatisfactory results with this paper?
Any and all theories will be thoroughly investigated  ;D
Bob
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2012, 04:59:44 pm »

You indicate that you used up the final sheets of the Portfolio Rag so I guess you can't run any real tests.  The only thing you might do is to compare soft proof images in Photoshop with the MOAB and Museo profiles.  That should give you an indication if it's a problem in the profile.  I think both papers should have the same general gamut and black point.  I assume that your printing pathway is fine since you can get good prints out using the MOAB paper.
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MHMG

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2012, 06:28:58 pm »

Just a thought, but try printing on the other side of one of the sheets you already printed and see if it looks much better. Portfolio Rag has only one printable side, but if you inadvertently lose track of which is the correct side, it's also a paper that is fairly tough to figure out which side is which. This is because a) Museo Port Rag lays flat really nicely so curl direction is not an indicator of printable side like it can be with other papers, especially HN papers, and b) the back side has a similar coating as the front side but not optimized for great print quality like the printable side.

cheers,
Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com
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uintaangler

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2012, 06:32:38 pm »

MHMG,
I actually considered that too and now I will try it
The sample pack states that the papers are stacked printable side up - maybe somebody goofed.
I'll give that a try - any problem running them back through my 3880 after printing on the reverse?
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2012, 08:02:42 pm »

MHMG,
I actually considered that too and now I will try it
The sample pack states that the papers are stacked printable side up - maybe somebody goofed.
I'll give that a try - any problem running them back through my 3880 after printing on the reverse?
Should have thought of that.  Boxed Portfolio Rag comes face up with an interleaved sheet between each one.  You won't have any problems printing on the other side of the sheet; in fact there are double sided coated papers for doing just that.  I won't be surprised at all if this was the problem. 
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MHMG

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #7 on: April 15, 2012, 10:42:44 pm »

Should have thought of that.  Boxed Portfolio Rag comes face up with an interleaved sheet between each one.

Yeah, I think the Museo product line has the best product packaging in the industry...makes Hahnemuhle packaging seem only satisfactory, and Canson packaging bordering on lame, but alas, my tests show that lightfastness for some Museo fine art papers is lagging behind somewhat with Epson Ultrachrome inks and even more so with Canon Lucia inks compared to other media brands, so that gives me pause with respect to my own personal choices of digital fine art papers. Otherwise, the initial image quality and physical handling properties are right up there with the best of them, and I'd be a devoted fan for my own personal work. Bob's initial image quality problems have a root cause not likely related to the Portfolio Rag product quality and can probably be sorted out. He's simply not getting the initial image quality that the Portfolio Rag is capable of delivering.


cheers,
Mark
http://www.aarenburg-imaging.com
« Last Edit: April 15, 2012, 10:47:06 pm by MHMG »
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uintaangler

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2012, 12:15:51 pm »

Tried printing the other side of the Museo Portfolio Rag and then printed the same image on Moab Entrada Natural and once again the Entrada blows the Museo Portfolio out of the water
The colors on the Museo Portfolio are washed out, way less saturation than on the Entrada
At this point I am going to work on the premise that the Portfolio Rag is a paper I should avoid at least until I find a better Printer/Paper Profile

Bob

PS The Moab Sample Pack comes with an intriguing looking paper called Anazasi Canvas Premium Matte 350 - it is almost like a linen paper
    I don't want to waste either of my two sheets - is there a particular type of image that would print better on this unique paper?

Thanks.
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Geraldo Garcia

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2012, 06:37:18 pm »

Anasazi Canvas is not a paper. It is, as the name states, canvas. Very much like a painting canvas it is usually stretched on stretcher bars, this one is made of a poli-cotton wave. It usually has a smaller color gamut and resolution than paper and is best suited for big prints that will not be viewed by very close distance.

There is a lot of info about canvas prints on this forum.

Best regards.
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Steve House

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2012, 06:58:39 am »

Anasazi Canvas is not a paper. It is, as the name states, canvas. Very much like a painting canvas it is usually stretched on stretcher bars, this one is made of a poli-cotton wave. It usually has a smaller color gamut and resolution than paper and is best suited for big prints that will not be viewed by very close distance.

There is a lot of info about canvas prints on this forum.

Best regards.

Looking over info online about Anasazi Canvas it appears to come in sheet sizes as well as rolls.  Do you know if the sheets will feed properly in an Epson 3880 or are they too flexible?
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rmyers

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2012, 10:23:45 am »

Looking over info online about Anasazi Canvas it appears to come in sheet sizes as well as rolls.  Do you know if the sheets will feed properly in an Epson 3880 or are they too flexible?

You can feed canvas sheets in a 3880.  It can be a little tricky.  You have to hold pressure on the canvas until the printer "grabs" it.  A little practice and you will get the hang of it.  You can also use double sided tape to attach a piece of photo paper the same width to the back of it either with the edges of the paper flush with the edge of the canvas or with the paper sticking out 1/8" or so on the end that goes in the printer.  It helps the printer grab the canvas sheet.
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uintaangler

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2012, 10:29:49 am »

Hello rmyers,

Sounds like you are the right guy to answer my previous question.....

What sort of image is best suited to the Anazazi Canvas? Would a great landscape that would print well on a good matte paper work or is it more specialized than that?

Thanks,
Bob
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rmyers

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Re: Epson 3880 and Museo Portfolio Rag
« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2012, 11:11:28 am »

For a fishing trip in the Uintas, I will come show you. ;D

I have printed a lot of landscapes on canvas.  Images without good contrast can be muddy on canvas.  I haven't printed on Anasazi on my 3880 but have printed on it with a smaller printer.  I can't remember if their profile was good or if I had one made for the printer as it has been a while and was before I got my 3880.  Pick a nice bright contrasty image to start with and give it a whack using their profile.

Search around on this forum.  There are a ton of posts about canvas printing.
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