hello. so i think i've narrowed down my paper choices and would like to know if there's anything else i should look at/test? Also curious to see comments on these papers as a group. I've done a lot research, gotten the gist of most of it and sat in awe of the tests that some or all of you have done! it's been a long and dizzying journey! printer is epson 3880 w/vivid magenta.
the biggest surprise to me this time around, is that i realized i might prefer the look and feel (mostly look, in fact 98% look) of a paper for a given photograph. an old sports car on the race track to me asks for contrast, sharpness and smooth glossy paper. a photo of a landscape might call for softer gloss and more textured paper or maybe less detail.
my primary criteria are: 1. OBA free 2. Epson Photo Black 3. Detail or sharpness in prints 4. Color loading, how saturated can i get if needed. (edit) as far as color vs. black and white, i'm happy with both on these papers.
my list (in no particular order):
1. Canson Baryta Photographique
2. Canson Platine
3. Ilford Prestige Gold Fibre Silk
4. Harman by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta (not warmtone)
5. Museo Silver Rag
6. Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl - primarily because it is an option when ordering the leather bound albums
(regarding #6, sports car prints do look ok on this, just not as exciting as on H by H Gloss Baryta to me
another thing to add is that during my research it seems that for the 3880 the best settings to print for any of these are: 1440dpi, paper thickness of "4", platen gap of "wide", allow some dry time 10-25 (which equates to .1sec - .25sec), high speed unchecked and rear sheet feeder one at a time.
it'd be interesting to hear comments on which of these in your experiences match the primary criteria the best. overall i think this is a pretty good grouping.
next up for me will be whether or not a color munki for a custom profile would be an improvement. which i think is yes, but i've got another thread on that to see what i should expect in changes.
thanks!
steve