looking for advice on paper for IP4500

[stevec]

I've just bought a Canon IP4500 and am looking for peoples experiences with photo paper, especially budget papers. Do I stick to Canon paper? Is own brand supermarket paper any good? I plan to use non OEM inks (advice need on this also!) not sure which yet. I'm in the UK. I'm trying to short circuit the testing of loads of papers. Someone must have done this before!

 

[fotofreek]

Do you have Costco stores in the UK? I've used their photo paper for several years with excellent results. I can't say that the images are as permanent as with some papers, but I haven't seen fading of prints that are framed under glass or saved in albums.

 

[msmart]

Do you have Costco stores in the UK?

A few... Costco UK Locations

 

[EdwardM]

Hi Steve,
Yes, finding some decent & cheap paper can be a very hit & miss affair. Even good name brands can be pretty awful sometimes depending on printer/ink combo (as I found out some time back with Fuji paper).

My own experience:
Ilford Printasia - not bad, worth a try.
Ilford Gallerie - excellent - sometimes on special offer at PC World.
Kodak Ultima - OK, but seems to print 'heavy'. Not worth the price.
Tesco Glossy - Very good indeed for the price. A tad magenta on default printer settings.
Comet Temium Brand - Poor dynamic range, very easily marked.

My preferred setup now for good prints on the cheap (Canon ip6700d) is Tesco Glossy, refill inks from http://www.cheapprinterink.co.uk/ & homemade profile using Profile Prism.

Best, Ed.