"ARCHES® 88. Made of 100% cotton, ... The unique inkjet receiving layer ... " (https://www.canson-infinity.com/en/products/archesr-88)
I would love to hear how they made an inkjet receptor coating out of 100% cotton. Pardon my skepticism, but I don't think this is a true watercolor paper at all.
In the past, I tried many true, un-coated watercolor papers (including Arches 88) to see if they were suitable for inkjet printing. None were competitive in terms of dmax when using the Epson driver. The best way I found to print a good black and white image on un-coated watercolor paper was to use a RIP (QuadToneRip in particular), have two positions of MK, and set the total ink load to 126. This was with third party (then MIS, now STS) carbon pigments. The paper that did best was Arches 140 lb. (about 300 gsm) full sheet (22 x 30 inches) paper.
It is the case that Epson MK is darker than this third party MK. So, at least with a RIP, one might be able to get a decent dmax out of Epson MK, but I doubt it. I would like to see spectrophotometer data on the dmax that is achievable with the OEM MK.
Paul
www.PaulRoark.com
I think that Paul's skepticism is a bit unfair. Many inkjet coated papers are described by the composition of the base paper. Thus singling out Canson in this regard is a bit snarky in my opinion.
That said, the original (non-inkjet) version of Arches 88 is not a watercolor paper. Rather, it is an unsized paper intended for printmaking. Thus, it is unsuitable for any aqueous-based process as it comes from the mill; it is simply too absorbent.
As an aside, I have tried the non-inkjet Arches 88, after sizing (with either arrowroot starch or gelatin, if I remember correctly). for alternative process printing and it is still very absorbent.
As for printing on paper not specifically coated for inkjet printing, I routinely print on both hot press watercolor papers and printmaking papers using both Epson OEM inks (and the Epson driver) and Piezography Pro inks with QTR.
The prints I make on these papers are then hand-colored so I am not particularly concerned about the ultimate in Dmax. In my view, the "problem" with prints on the papers not meant for inkjet printing is dot gain. They don't work well if one needs really sharp prints.
--- Frank
www.frg-photo.com