Kid's room frame-able wall prints - paper suggestions needed

[LeLuni]

Hi,

I now have a Z6200ps, which prints media up to 22 mil thick.

I'm moving into frame-able prints for kid's room wall art. My designs are graphic, not photographic, and will have large blocks of solid color (think like a screenprint effect). I'll send them rolled, with the strong recommendation that they be framed behind glass.

I come to you today to ask, if you were going into this type of print business, which would you choose to be your go-to paper?

My gut is telling me that the prints should feel somewhat thick and substantial, but I don't want to go overboard. Also, my preference is very nearly matte, maybe with an ever-so-slight sheen, and with a very fine paper texture. But again, I'm very interested in what you all would do.

Cost will be a factor, but the tangible feeling you get when holding the print in your hand is also critical in my mind. I know My prints won't be the least expensive.

I greatly appreciate your expert advice.

Thanks,
John

[Some Guy]

http://www.inkpresspaper.com/profiles.asp?PaperID=33

SG

[hugowolf]

22 mil is about 0.58 mm, so you are looking at papers in the 300 - 350 g/m² range. I am unfamiliar with the printer, what type of ink does it take: dye or pigment.

Brian A

[LeLuni]

It is a 60" commercial grade printer from HP.
It is a pigment inkjet with 8 cartridges.
I will be using paper rolls as my media.

Thanks,
John

[hugowolf]

Well the selection isn't endless, but it is still very large. Are you looking for RC, Fibre, or 'fine art' cotton paper? Have you thought about sample packs from the leading paper manufactures?

Brian A

[LeLuni]

Hi,

I currently have samples coming from red river, innova, and the matte sample pack from atlex (it includes a few Epsons, one Moab, and one Hahnemuhle).
I'm really open to all paper types - RC, fibre, and fine art cotton - and I'm sure there are several out there that might fit the bill.
Also, I have to say, the idea of rice- or bamboo-based paper is intriguing from a marketing perspective.

What would you choose as your go-to paper if given my needs?

Here are the paper requirements further elaborated and listed out:
   - Reasonably heavy, but not too thick - they will ship in rolls, and I don't want them to be too difficult to unfurl and frame. (I'm a little worried about the paper dimpling as it is unrolled by a client).
   - Smooth or nearly smooth surface
   - Comes in rolls
   - Surface should'nt scuff too easily - once they leave my workshop, I don't know how they will be handled and I want them to be reasonably durable prior to being framed
   - Accepts and 'pops' large areas of bright color - like the look of screenprints

Thanks again for any input you can provide,
John

[foto_man]

If money is not an issue, you can't really go wrong with Hahnemuhle.

They make a Photo Rag Bartya and a Fine Art Baryta in 60 inch rolls. They also have other options:

http://www.hahnemuehle.com/prod/en/212/411/photo-rag-ultra-smooth-305-gsm.html

The Bottom of the page shows the sizes that the papers come in. If you need a couple of recommendations on retailers, just PM me.

Although, this user says in another thread I started about 60 inch printers, that the z6200 can't handle thicker matte fine art paper.

I started with fine art printing, later on, figured out commercial printing makes a lot more money, so now i'm doing both.

the Z6200 still can't take thick media such as photo rag 308. yes, it is a more like a photo machine but for RC paper only. so just please forget about it if you want to print on rag paper.

It maybe worth your while to see if you can get a 1/2 or 1/3 roll of a nice, thick, matte paper and run it thru your machine.

Good luck. Please keep me posted on your results as I am interested in the same process (z6200 & matte fine art paper).

[BarbaraArmstrong]

I just saw your post.  Museo Silver Rag may be just right.  It takes the "photo black" inks, but has a very smooth surface and weak sheen, and a lot of substantiality in the hand. --Barbara

[LeLuni]

Thank you for the suggestion! I will see if I can get in a sample. At 15 mil thick, I don't think it will be a problem running through the HP.

So far, the surface quality and paper color of the Hahnemuhle photorag 188 is the best I've sampled so far. However, it is ever-so-slightly on the thin side, and unfortunately the expense is probably too great for my purposes.

Today, my Red River samples will deliver. I did notice that they only do 24" rolls, which is surprisingly limiting. Does anyone know if they do custom roll widths? The pricing is great, so I imagine I'll find one that will be suitable for small/medium posters.

John

[Ernst Dinkla]

In the US you could try HP Matte Litho-Realistic, 270 gsm. 36"wide. Somewhat warm so I prefer Innova IFA24, 210 gsm, for that kind of work but it is not distributed in the US, at least not with that name. One thing to think about is that printed and rolled for posting, the surface may damage. Tissue type of paper in between should help.

Wonder whether the 210 grams in this list could be identical to the IFA24 mentioned above:
https://www.itsupplies.com/SolvArt-Solvent-and-Latex-Paper
True, not aimed at water based inks but maybe it is more universal than described.

In my opinion the Red River Aurora rag has a coating that is worse than the papers mentioned above.

--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[LeLuni]

Good suggestion about protecting the surface during shipping.

I was thinking a really cheap HP bond paper might work as a protective sheet. I could even print on it for branding or advertising/coupon codes or such. I guess I'll have to do a rub test on whatever I decide to try.

Thanks for the Matte Litho suggestion. I can't figure out how to get a sample, but I'll keep trying.

John

[LeLuni]

I just received my Red River and Innova samples.
Based on everything I've seen so far, I'm definitely looking at the warmer 'natural' colored papers.
Here is the short list:

Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 188
Innova Photo Smooth Cotton Natural 215 or 315
Red River Aurora Art Natural 64lb

Ernst, could you elaborate on your Red River comment above ("In my opinion the Red River Aurora rag has a coating that is worse than the papers mentioned above")?

I'm trying to figure out where I can get a sample of HP Matte Litho for comparison.

Based what I've listed out, does anyone have any others that I should look into?

Thanks,
John

[LeLuni]

So, apparently Matte Litho-Realistic is very affordable via Amazon. Rather than putzing around the web trying to find samples, I went ahead and ordered a 100' roll. So far I give it a +1 on price, so hopefully the surface and color compares favorably to the other three on the short list.

I'm still hoping Ernst will stop by to elaborate on his Red River comment above ("In my opinion the Red River Aurora rag has a coating that is worse than the papers mentioned above").

Thanks,
John

[Ernst Dinkla]

Ernst, could you elaborate on your Red River comment above ("In my opinion the Red River Aurora rag has a coating that is worse than the papers mentioned above")?

Thanks,
John

Less gamut and Dmax than the IFA24 and the inked areas less even. You mentioned a silkscreen appeal the prints should have.

The HP Matte Litho-Realistic is as warm as the Red River Aurora Natural, the last has a slightly higher light reflectance. LR is smoother, more rigid too and 270 gsm versus the 230 gsm of the RR (measured weight!).


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[LeLuni]

Less gamut and Dmax than the IFA24 and the inked areas less even. You mentioned a silkscreen appeal the prints should have.

The HP Matte Litho-Realistic is as warm as the Red River Aurora Natural, the last has a slightly higher light reflectance. LR is smoother, more rigid too and 270 gsm versus the 230 gsm of the RR (measured weight!).

Thank you very much, Ernst, for taking the time to reply!
I can't wait to get my roll of HP to test. I'll let you know how things go.

Thanks,
John