Printing on Watercolour Paper

Yes I have. There is improvement one can see between none and pre-coated.
One point. If you want your printed images to look photographic, don't print on watercolor paper. A smooth coated for inkjet paper will be a much better choice. I am looking for a certain look and I have to say all the folks that show these prints to love them and are amazed at the "look"

Like I said, I am very satisfied with the results printing large and praying with the Krylon which not only enhances them further but also protects them for the future, and they look great!
Did I mention that they look great? LOL

Joe

@jtoolman, I reckoned your print of the Café scene you posted on here some time ago was a real special, so much so that I included in this years Calendar, I do one every year for the misses to write dates and times on..

The Hat said:

@jtoolman, I reckoned your print of the Café scene you posted on here some time ago was a real special, so much so that I included in this years Calendar, I do one every year for the misses to write dates and times on..

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I agree. Not only does it capture the informal and relaxed atmosphere of an outdoor cafe, but is an excellent example of appropriate use of the watercolour paper for maximum effect.

Bravo Jose.

rs

WOW! Thanks you guys!!!

Joe

jtoolman said:

The prayed one still sown some artifacting form the droplets of hairspray. I assume that you would need to be EVER so smooth in the actual act of spraying. I found it to be more of a hassle than a benefit.

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My spray is very very fine, looks like a mist than a spray. Perhaps your spray is the problem here.

jtoolman said:

The paper would also curl excessively during drying.

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The paper does curl after spray, but nothing dramatic. I place it flat on table to dry. After 15 minutes it's flat and dry to touch so I can stack it. Strange that it did not work for you.

After trying out two sorts of hairspray on different sorts of uncoated paper I can see very little effect, sometimes positive: a (very) little more contrast, sometimes negative: blurring or strange artifacts .
I know from art classes that hairspray can be a cheap fixativ for pastel drawing/painting, it acts like a glue for the pastel crayon which does not hold on the paper without any fixative. So hairspray might act like a sort of varnish, but not really as an inkjet coat, I think...

Well the art store fixative cost like 4x more and does not work better at least in my tests. The amount of varnish used after you print if you like it or not is personal preference. Someone might not like it at all. It's all creative process and if we share it helping out other members that's the important thing.

I reanimated an old R800 and after printing two weeks only with compatible dye ink, because it is a clogging machine, and after cleaning the purge pad etc. - I finally switched back to a pigment ink set. Not the cheapest, from marrutt/lyson, results are good so far.

So I tried the non coated aquarelle paper in this printer. ("guardi artistico aquarello" from boesner, 250g, stiff and textured)

And to my surprise the d-max is much better, deeper blacks than with the pro3880 on art paper! I profiled the paper both in 3880 and 800, the blacks and therefor the over all contrast remain deeper, better with the old r800.
See both prints side by side... you can darken the print - but you won't get a deeper black of the black areas:


My explanation for the moment: it's the MATTE black which makes deep blacks on matte and on uncoated paper, not the photo black. And the r800 only has one MK channel beside the PK, no LK and LLK. Which both are "photo inks", no "matte LK/LLK",
So these 3K channels of 3880 could weaken the black on matte uncoated paper... The old r800 having only one black channel might spray more of MK on the paper than the 3K printer...?!
I'm just speculating... see the prints..

You might be right, and also the ink curves are different. One printer has only MK, the other LK and LLK. So if somebody would take 3880 and adjust curves it would print the same as R800.

The only problem is that it's hard to do or expensive as RIPS like whiterip are
The Gutenprint/Wutenprint with GIMP is another way, also there is quadtoneRIP

My PRO 3800 prints on CANSON Aquarelle paper ( 300gms ) are printed with OCP K3 inks and their Matte Black which is very dense! Better results than with EPSON MK.
The final spray coating is imperative and deepens the shadows and blacks even more. Without that last step, and it is simply sup par. With it and that print will be worthy of a sale to any collector.

Joe