What type of paper is best for larger landscape photos?

<p>I just purchased a new Epson 3880 printer and am not sure what type of paper to buy. I have been printing 8.5 x 11's on my current Epson Artisan 810 using Epson's Ultra Premium Glossy Photo Paper. I'm pretty new at this stuff, but do take my photography seriously. Is there a preferred paper finish for landscape photography? I would like to print the larger size (17 x 22) on my new Epson. Epson doesn't make a 17 x 22 in the Ultra Premium Gloosy, but they do make it in a Luster. I'm guessing there is a reason they don't make the glossy in that size? Which paper would be best for my application? Any help is appreciated...Thanks</p>

<p>It really depends on the subject matter, and on how you'll mounting/displaying the image. Nothing makes me happier than a nice 17x22 piece of Epson's Velvet Fine Art paper. I generally don't like glossy stock, especially on large prints ... just too much glare, especially if it's going to wind up behind glass. The only way to really answer your question is to try some, of course. Remember that when you switch between glossy (or luster) and matte papers, you lose a bit of black ink as the printer does its dance. So, I try to plan my print jobs around doing a bunch of one type or the other. Definitely give VFA a try, though. It's lovely on certain types of subject matter.</p>

<p>You can drive yourself crazy with all the different types of papers currently available. Some vendors such as <a href="http://www.shadesofpaper.com/index.php">Shades of Paper</a> will do up sample packs containing 5 sheets of a particular paper (letter size). You should contact them for current pricing (I recall they go for about $10 per pack) so that you can try different types. These days I mainly print on Museo Silver Rag (glossy) and Museo Portfolio Rag (matte); both papers give great results. Remember you will not get as wide a color gamut or deep blacks with matte papers and you do need to soft proof these papers to get the best results.</p>

<p>Epson claims that their Luster paper maintains the highest color gamut. Any thoughts on Luster paper? A large print like this will probably be framed behind glass. Not sure what most photographers print their pictures on-a general everyday finish. Matte? I will be calibrating whatever paper I decide to use with my ColorMunki (if this makes a difference). Thanks</p>

<p>If I'm making a print that I expect to hand to someone, knowing they'll be handling it themselves, passing around, and perhaps doing a frame-it-yourself effort ... then I'll use Epdon's Luster. If I'm doing all the work, and know that I can protect the more delicate surface of the a paper like VFA, then I'll be more comfortable using that.</p>

<p>Is Luster the same as glossy?</p>

<p>I think I'll give the VFA a try. I've never seen this paper before. Do I need to do any extra sharpening or anything to the picture? Or should I just profile the paper and finalize the image as I would any other image in Photoshop? I'm kind of worried about the loss or gain of saturation, but I am guessing that the printer calibration wit this paper should take care of that? Thanks</p>

<p>Ooooh, what a question... I just returned from photokina with a stack of paper samples... there are some great ones out there now! One brand, Tecco, feature an "iridium silver glossy" and a "baryta glossy", while another manufacturer, Innova, has Cotton paper which is extremely matte and luminous. They printed landscapes on it, and I was SO amazed.;-)<br>

But depends on whether you like structure in your images or not, else I'd say a very nice lustre paper like the Epson or Canson's platinum fibre, which has a baryta feel to it and an enormous gamut to go with. The price range is still civilized, I feel.</p>

<p>Yes, Keith, all papers are unique in the amount of sharpening needed but in general, matte papers can take more than luster or glossy. I use the Innova Smooth Cotton Natural papers and have been very happy. I prefer a less textured matte surface. </p>

<p>Do let your matte prints dry throughly before mounting under glazing. I let mine sit for a full week. A final coat of PrintShield UV protection spray will help protect delicate matte surfaces, especially heavy darks, and adds substantial longevity to the life of the print. Give two light coats, spraying in each direction and let dry five minutes between each coat. Use in a well ventilated area. Keep in mind, the bigger the print, the bigger the handling issues. Keep a pair of cotton gloves handy for final prints.</p>

<p>Samplers are a great way to familiarize with different kinds of papers. I would recommend samplers from Innova, Hahnemuhle, Canson and Museo. You should also try some Epson Exhibition Fiber.<br>

You will notice that papers have different bases (paper, cotton, polyester or RC), different surfaces and shine (from glossy to watercolor) and that some papers use optical brighteners and some don't. This all has impact on the final character of the print. The samplers are great because they will show you the differences.</p>

<p>Remember that, if you pick up a sampler pack, you must download and install the appropriate paper profiles so your software knows how to print correctly. Not using the correct profile will invalidate your "test" on the sample.</p>

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<p>I've been very happy with premium luster (also on a 3880), but I get mine from InkJet Art (www.inkjetart.com). Their own brand of premium luster is essentially the same as Epson's, but it's less expensive. They have a wide variety of other papers as well. I also get my ink from them. I've found InkJet Art to be a great outfit with which to do business.</p>

<p>My view is do not discount a glossy paper. They usually provide the best dynamic range and because they are so smooth offer the best sharpness. Once behind normal glass any image will show tiresome reflections, so a lot of a matte papers advantage there is lost. In my opinion matte is perhaps nicest for looking at in a portfolio or for black and white, or possibly putting in a frame with coated glass, but otherwise I prefer gloss.</p>

<p>I want to thank all of you for your input. I have read all of the posts (and will read more) and they have educated me on papers. I am going to try the sample packs and see which ones I like. Thanks again!</p>

<p>I want to thank all of you for your input. I have read all of the posts (and will read more) and they have educated me on papers. I am going to try the sample packs and see which ones I like. Thanks again!</p>

<p>Well, I have usually printed on Luster, which is a semi-gloss. That said, I think Ilford's Gallerie Pearl is just as good, if not better. I am very happy with it.</p>

<p>For the top of the line stuff, I print on Hahnemuhle paper. It really is a thing of beauty. Their photo rag is great, although maybe slightly dull.</p>

<p>You do loose a lot, in my opinion, of the feel of matte papers when behind glass. So if the print is going behind glass, I usually use Luster/Pearl papers. I am about to experiment with framing without glass and using Hahnemuhle's watercolor paper. I say some landscapes done like this recently, and I have to say, they looked amazing, so the paper is up to it.</p>

<p>I have a friend who sells big landscape prints at a gallery in Sedona, AZ. All his big prints seem to made on luster finish paper. It has the tonal range of glossy, but not the direct-reflect, mirror-like finish that can cause viewing issues in the final installation. Luster is essentially a glossy paper, but with an extremely fine ripple texture on the surface.</p>

<p>Paper choice can make you crazy. Charlie Cramer, one of the best photographers I know, and a technical wizard, uses Ilford Smooth Pearl, a luster paper, because he TESTED it with a reflection densitometer and found it had the blackest blacks, the whitest whites, and the broadest gamut. It is also reasonably priced. Once paper is behind glass, all the matte-glossy stuff tends to be minimized. If you use the least expensive glass, you have the "wonderful" green that cheap glass tints all prints. Plexi is clear and light weight but it it is easy to scratch. Really clear glass is expensive and all glass is fragile, the larger, the more dangerous.<br>

In the film-wet darkroom days, the photo magazines featured a new film and/or developer almost every month. Many people flitted from one to the other and never learned enough about any of them to become proficient. Many excellent photographers standardized on a single film (or two, one fast, one slow), a single developer, learned them and made wonderful prints that glowed.<br>

I'd suggest avoiding the "paper of the week" syndrome (this is the internet era, so months are too long to wait), and make some test prints, do some reading and choose a paper you can afford, and can live with, maybe two, or even three. Live with the prints, look at them under the light they will be viewed with and then learn the paper.<br>

Good luck.</p>

<p>I'm with Zach Ritter. I use Ilford's Gallerie Pearl all the time and I love it. <br>

And it doesn't hurt that it's a bit less expensive than Epson Luster.</p>

<p>Earlier this year, on Charlie's advice I picked up some Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl.</p>

<p>For letter size using the HPZ3100 printer, I found that the Epson Premium Luster provides a better range for my b&w prints from 35mm negatives. The Ilford Galerie appears to compress the tonal range somewhat for me so that the b&w usually doesn't look as snappy from the same file. Of course this also depends on the negative and the resulting scan that I have done.</p>

<p>The Galerie works nicely for my color prints done from Kodachrome scans, but as I am only doing smaller sizes of those too at this time, I can't really comment about how well the larger print sizes work using that paper.</p>