Your favorite paper thickness?

Hey guys,

Do you have a favorite paper thickness for printing photographs? I have access to 180, 200 and 280gsm easily and was wondering if there are reason to choose one over the other. All the pictures I print will go on an album or framed.

The printer is an Epson L805, if that makes a difference. I'll be printing in A4 and 4R.

Thanks in advance!

Tassem.

Tassem said:

Do you have a favorite paper thickness

Click to expand...

Yes, I like two-ply.

Oh, you're not asking about that kind of paper. TMI


There are a number of web pages that discuss this. Here are the first two I found using Google:

https://www.designwise.net/toolbox/glossary/guide-selecting-correct-paper-weight/

https://www.printivity.com/insights...ose-the-best-paper-weight-for-your-print-job/

And then there are other considerations as remarked on in the following link:

https://www.printingforless.com/How-to-Choose-the-Best-Paper-Stock-For-Printing.html


Take note from the first link:

*Please remember that the greater the “lb” associated with a paper does not always determine a thicker sheet. Notice that the 67 lb Vellum Bristol has a lower gsm than a 65 lb cover because they are two different categories of cardstock and are scaled differently.

Click to expand...

There is room to experiment. Personal preference is a factor. Your preference may be quite different than mine. Cost may also be a factor. What paper weight your printer can accept is always a factor.

It is my impression that PE papers are thinner and lighter while stronger than those made of paper alone.
Under 200g can be difficult to keep flat, I prefer 280, 300 and 310g.

Most of my papers are in the range of 250 - 320 gr, but I use as well some less-standard types - e.g. 165 gr doublesided or vinyl

For prints in an album you can take thinner paper. As an advantage the album will not get to thick. For framed prints the thicker paper is better, the larger the print. But with good papers and prints fixed behind Passepartout there should no problems with all of these papers. All depends on the quality of the papers. Never had problems with RC papers like Canon SG-201 which has 260g/m2. For Epson it should be Epson Premium glossy.
third party papers you have to try. Find out which which media to choose to avoid buckling and overinking.
For good prints: Good printer, good ink, good paper. No way out of this rule.

stratman said:

Yes, I like two-ply.

Click to expand...

Hehehe. I ended up ordering A4 in 280GSM, 270GSM Resin Coated and 4R in 280 GSM, all ultra glossy. Let's see how it goes. I've been printing like a mad man. But on regular paper for now.

palombian said:

It is my impression that PE papers are thinner and lighter while stronger than those made of paper alone.
Under 200g can be difficult to keep flat, I prefer 280, 300 and 310g.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I could not find anything higher than 280 though. Is PE the same as Resin Coated?

The Hat said:

I’ve been in printing along time, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of an 4R size ? ? ?..

Try and state your paper sizes in either Imperial or Metre, mixing them confused the hell out of me.. 4R O’ boy….

Click to expand...

Hehe I guess 4R is used more in photography than anywhere else. It's essentially 4x6 inches. Is there a metric or imperial equivalent? The stores list it this way as well. I found this guide online:

Ink stained Fingers said:

Most of my papers are in the range of 250 - 320 gr, but I use as well some less-standard types - e.g. 165 gr doublesided or vinyl

Click to expand...

Ah ok. What are your thoughts on Resin Coated paper? I ended up ordering several different paper types to find out what I like best. My goal is to have images that feel like the ones processed from film cameras.

maximilian59 said:

For prints in an album you can take thinner paper. As an advantage the album will not get to thick. For framed prints the thicker paper is better, the larger the print. But with good papers and prints fixed behind Passepartout there should no problems with all of these papers. All depends on the quality of the papers. Never had problems with RC papers like Canon SG-201 which has 260g/m2. For Epson it should be Epson Premium glossy.
third party papers you have to try. Find out which which media to choose to avoid buckling and overinking.
For good prints: Good printer, good ink, good paper. No way out of this rule.

Click to expand...

Thanks! The paper I've ordered are all by Kodak. Epson hasn't restarted their paper sales yet after the lockdown. Once they open I'll give the premium glossy a try. Kodak essentially has three types here - Glossy, Premium Glossy and Ultra Premium Glossy. I ordered the Ultra which is 280GSM. They also have a 270 GSM RC, I ordered that as well. I'll have to look up buckling and overinking, thanks! What are your thoughts on RC vs regular glossy?

Tassem said:

Is PE the same as Resin Coated?

Click to expand...

There are various types of 'paper' you can separate by the base material and the coating, very popular are the classical papers from thin to thick, carton like, and you can have canvas type base material or PVC foil or some other specialty material , cotton based or with plastic fibres and.... and.....And there is the coating which takes the ink, papers without coating are suitable for laser print but do not deliver photo like quality, they are o.k. for correspondence and alike.
Inkjet papers get a coating applied to the base material - two of the popular types are cast coated - cc - and resin coated - RC. I think 80% to 90% fall into these two most used categories - cc on a paper base - these are cheap and budget level priced photo papers - mostly glossy , and there are the PE RC type papers, the paper base is sandwiched on both sides with a very thin PE foil, and the coating is applied on top of it and you need a resin based binder.
You find cc papers in a price range of about 5cts to 20cts for an A4 sheet, and the PE/RC papers range between 10cts and 80/90cts. And there are the FineArt papers - lots of different great papers - Baryta coating , textured surfaces and with lots of other properties - these go in a range between 1€ and 2€ or more.
What are some of the differences between papers - the surface - you go for an effect - glossy - matte - textures - which directly impacts the look. And there are technical parameters - the gamut, the white level, optical brighteners, the black level with a particular ink - suitability with pigment inks and a few more.
Photo prints on cc paper are somewhat o.k. - good enough for lots of purposes - the gamut is not as great as with the RC/PE papers, the blacks are not as dark as on PE papers, the gloss is not as clean as with the PE papers.
If you print photos on thinner cc papers the prints may get wavy because the ink solvent gets through the coating into the paper base, the PE foil just prevents this effect.
There are lots of shops selling lots of different papers but they don't tell you in all cases which type of paper you'll get at the end, the description promises you great brilliance but you don't know if you get a PE paper or what else.

Ink stained Fingers said:

There are various types of 'paper'

Click to expand...

Excellent introduction.

Tassem said:

My goal is to have images that feel like the ones processed from film cameras

Click to expand...

Depends a lot, which era you mean. The end of the analog time, when there where already cheap prints available. The older ones have a very different look and feel. The only paper I found coming next to them is HP Premium Photo Paper Glossy 300 g/m2. Try a small package and have a look. You will need a profile, but you can start with Epson Premium Glossy Ultra. Let the prints try and have a look in a diffuse light or the window. It is not the cheapest one, but incomparable in my eyes.