Ilford Inkjet Papers in HP 7960

[joel_matherson]

Has anyone tried Ilfords Inkjet Papers in the HP 7960. This printer

applies its ink differently to most other brand inkjets to which you

need to use HP's own papers to get the claimed 73 year print life.

Ive read it has to saturate the papers more than others like Canon.

Has anyone tried the Ilford papers in this printer though? Ive seen

excellent results with Iford paper the a Canon i960 so was just

curious if any 7960 users had tried it or other papers with success?

Or is it HP and HP alone? Any comments would be appreciated.

[bob_rannells]

I use Ilford Galerie Classic paper with my HP 7960. I think the Ilford Galerie Classic and the HP Premium Plus are the same paper. I've printed the same photo on each with the same settings and I don't notice a difference. Independant testing has shown them both to be equal in longevity. Just make sure you use the Galerie Classic and not the Ilford Galerie Smooth.

[tom_halfhill]

I have successfully used Ilford Gallerie Classic Pearl and Classic Smooth with my HP 7960. Both papers work fine. I adjust settings in the printer driver according to the recommendations on the Ilford website.

 

In my experience, Classic Pearl is better for b&w prints -- it seems to yield a more neutral tone than Classic Smooth. However, you must give Classic Pearl plenty of time to dry. I let the prints air-dry for at least 24 hours before stacking them together. That's because Classic Pearl is the longer-lasting type of inkjet paper (swellable polymer) that doesn't absorb ink as quickly as the fast-drying but faster-fading ceramic-type inkjet papers (Classic Smooth).

 

My only complaint with using Ilford papers on the HP 7960 is that sometimes the colors look oversaturated. Usually they're OK. However, when I tried reducing saturation by adjusting the saturation control in the printer driver, it had no effect. Don't know why.

 

An HP sales rep once told me that Ilford makes HP's own papers and that they're virtually identical. If that's true, then prints made on Classic Pearl should last as long as those made on HP Premium Plus paper (about 73 years, according to independent tests). Of course, anytime you use third-party inks or papers, you can never be sure what will happen.

 

Ilford inkjet papers are getting harder to find, but they are good papers and less expensive than most other papers. I don't know why Ilford papers aren't more popular. I have been using Ilford's conventional darkroom b&w papers since the 1970s and have always been happy with their quality, too.

[constance_cook]

My experiences with Ilford match those above. If you live near a Sam's Club, you can get Classic Pearl and Smooth Gloss. Both are very nice for portraits but I like H-P's Premium Plus papers for everything else.

 

Conni

[jack paradise]

The print permanence rating is acheived with the combination of HP ink and paper. A dye inkset is used but the paper sold by HP has swellable polymers. Without the swellable polymers, the HP paper ink combination would nothing in term of print permanence.

 

Anyone here that can confirm that Ilford's paper have swellable polymers ? If you can, please state your source not just "independant test".

[bob_rannells]

The Ilford Galerie Classic papers are swellable polymers. The Ilford Galerie Smooth papers are a microceramic type. You can find it on the Ilford website.

[joel_matherson]

Its very interesting Tom that the HP rep told you that HP papers are made by Ilford, and Bob seems to agree with that. You would think Ilford would be a financial success if they provided that much paper for HP, maybe they have to make it as such a low price they dont make much money on them. HP should have bought Ilford if that was the case! LOL. It would be very interesting to confirm if they do make HP's papers or at least some of them. Im finding that Premium Plus isnt stocked by local stores, they keep regular HP papers of course but the shelves are mainly filled with Epson, Canon and Kodak papers. They say they will order it but im always half way through printing when I realize I need more sheets and rush down at the last minute! Ilford Papers are kept at a local camera store hence what prompted my original question. If the Ilford Gallerie Classic papers are the same Papar as HP's then that would be the perfect solution.

 

PS Whats Sams Club?

[tom_halfhill]

Note that it was a year or maybe even two years ago when the HP sales rep told me Ilford makes HP's paper. In today's business world, a lot can change in a year or two. Some companies change suppliers almost monthly. Production often gravitates to the country with the cheapest labor at any given time, or the country with the most favorable currency exchange rate. It's crazy.

 

This widespread practice of supplier-swapping means that brand names are becoming less important. You might buy something this week and be very satisfied with it, then return to the store a month later to buy more and be mystified when it doesn't seem as good as the first stuff you bought. The reason is probably that the branding company switched suppliers to save a few pennies, and production moved to a different factory in a different country. This is one of my pet peeves with modern business practice -- some companies are undercutting their own brand value in pursuit of marginally higher margins. But I digress...