Paper Thickness

[Shadowman]

Just wondering for those who print, do any of you use any of the thin papers such as 4.5-7.0ml matte presentation paper? I've seen some thin glossy papers used on wide formats also, anyone using any of those, had a recent discussion on using paper rolls and thought these would eliminate the curl effect but also might decrease the longevity of the image; might be a good choice for specific presentations though.

[Manfred M]

I bought some thin paper (Epson Presentation Paper Matte), primarily for work other than printing pictures when I first bought my printer (I can't remember how many years ago that was) and I still have almost a full box, so that should tell you how much I like using it. It's a presentation paper and looks fine for presentation work, but not for printing pictures. I'm not even sure if these papers have a printer profile available for them.

The thinnest papers I current use are around 10 mil and have some that are around 17 mil. Larger size prints really do need a thicker paper just from a handling standpoint. It's just too easy to crease or damage a large sheet of paper that is too thin.

[pnodrog]

I go by grams/meter squared. For photo prints would seldom go less than 170g/m2 and for larger prints usually in the 200-250g/m2 range.

[Donald]

Don't know how North American paper weight calculations convert to European/Australiasia calculations, but of my main papers, Matte is 285 gsm and Mono Gloss is 320 gsm.

[george013]

I also know only the unit grams/m2. I think when you choice poster paper you get lighter/thinner paper.

George

[James G]

John, I print quite a lot and use a number of papers. I generally print 'fine art' . Usually A3.
I have used thinner papers in the past, but found them unsatisfactory somehow.

These days I find I'm much happier with heavier/thicker papers for both matte and gloss images.

I use:-
Canson papers: Aquarelle 310gsm ,Platine 310gsm and Baryta 310gsm.
Harman Crystal jet Elite papers: Gloss 295gsm, Lustre 260 gsm and Pearl 295 gsm.

Deciding on a particular paper for an image, (for me!), involves an assessment of a number of factors, with texture and the natural 'white' of the paper being 'most' significant.

In general the thinner papers I've tried in the past didn't seem to give me what I wanted.

(I have printed books on occasion also and for double sided printing, I prefer heavier papers.)

[rudi]

For architectural drawings, building plans etc, we use amongst others, HP enhanced Matte (which is 90g/m2 in weight, and 114 microns or 4,5 mil thick), on an HP (from 2004) 4 inkt printer which is NOT a photo printer.
Paper is 'flimsy' as one might expect and longevity is not great. Lamination was sometimes required.
At first we also printed photos on a 150-200 g/m2 matte inkjet paper with an epson 'photo printer'.
For photos, those days I prefer the heavier paper, 280 and 315 g/m2.
I never tried a thin paper (4,5 mil) on our epson 3880 or 7900. So can't comment on that.

[Rent]

John Whatever you use, check the spec of your printer first to make sure it can handle it. I always found the heavier the better
Roy

[Shadowman]

I bought some thin paper (Epson Presentation Paper Matte), primarily for work other than printing pictures when I first bought my printer (I can't remember how many years ago that was) and I still have almost a full box, so that should tell you how much I like using it. It's a presentation paper and looks fine for presentation work, but not for printing pictures. I'm not even sure if these papers have a printer profile available for them.

The thinnest papers I current use are around 10 mil and have some that are around 17 mil. Larger size prints really do need a thicker paper just from a handling standpoint. It's just too easy to crease or damage a large sheet of paper that is too thin.

Hi Manfred,

The fragility is one of the concerns I had after seeing some prints come off the press, there was a bin in front of the printers that catches very large prints and I had concerns about smudging; granted a good profile is needed that hopefully uses less ink. I'm also thinking that the thinner material would be good for backlit presentations.

[Shadowman]

I go by grams/meter squared. For photo prints would seldom go less than 170g/m2 and for larger prints usually in the 200-250g/m2 range.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the information regarding your preferences, I have a sample pack which contains papers between 170-400ggsm; most aren't that appealing to me based on the texture (I'm a glossy fan through and through) but I have seen some good looking prints done on cotton fibre.

[Shadowman]

Don't know how North American paper weight calculations convert to European/Australiasia calculations, but of my main papers, Matte is 285 gsm and Mono Gloss is 320 gsm.

Hi Donald,

The matte material I found was only 102 gsm/4.9mil, I only purchased it because it was maximum sized sheet length paper available for my older printer. I've printed a few black and white images using it but it has that copy paper look to it.

[Shadowman]

I also know only the unit grams/m2. I think when you choice poster paper you get lighter/thinner paper.

George

Thanks George,

My Epson has a "user guide" that I've added to My Favorite's link.

[Shadowman]

John, I print quite a lot and use a number of papers. I generally print 'fine art' . Usually A3.
I have used thinner papers in the past, but found them unsatisfactory somehow.

These days I find I'm much happier with heavier/thicker papers for both matte and gloss images.

I use:-
Canson papers: Aquarelle 310gsm ,Platine 310gsm and Baryta 310gsm.
Harman Crystal jet Elite papers: Gloss 295gsm, Lustre 260 gsm and Pearl 295 gsm.

Deciding on a particular paper for an image, (for me!), involves an assessment of a number of factors, with texture and the natural 'white' of the paper being 'most' significant.

In general the thinner papers I've tried in the past didn't seem to give me what I wanted.

(I have printed books on occasion also and for double sided printing, I prefer heavier papers.)

Hi James,

I'm very particular regarding the feel/look of the print and don't really like the thinner material but have only printed using dye-based inks; using pigment-based now and will definitely compare against the older printer.

[Shadowman]

For architectural drawings, building plans etc, we use amongst others, HP enhanced Matte (which is 90g/m2 in weight, and 114 microns or 4,5 mil thick), on an HP (from 2004) 4 inkt printer which is NOT a photo printer.
Paper is 'flimsy' as one might expect and longevity is not great. Lamination was sometimes required.
At first we also printed photos on a 150-200 g/m2 matte inkjet paper with an epson 'photo printer'.
For photos, those days I prefer the heavier paper, 280 and 315 g/m2.
I never tried a thin paper (4,5 mil) on our epson 3880 or 7900. So can't comment on that.

Hi Rudi,

Yes, remember the thinner materials from past mechanical drafting days, if I recall there was a transfer process to vellum using inks.

[Shadowman]

John Whatever you use, check the spec of your printer first to make sure it can handle it. I always found the heavier the better
Roy

Hi Roy,

Thanks for the information, I would like to use the paper roller but am looking at best material that won't create the curl effect. I have a roll of 10mil/250gsm 8.3" (210mm) that spits out a curled image. I might keep a roll on hand for nozzle checks.

[DanK]

I generally use papers around 300 g. It's partly a matter of how you mount the photo. If you are going to dry mount (I never do any more), I suspect thickness wouldn't matter much. However, if you frame so that the art is attached at the top but otherwise held in place only by the mat board, think papers are more prone to developing a wavy surface over time.

Some printers have different feed mechanisms for heavier papers. Both of my photo printers have been inexpensive Canon dye-ink printers, but both had separate feeds that worked fine with heavy papers, even canvas.

[Shadowman]

I generally use papers around 300 g. It's partly a matter of how you mount the photo. If you are going to dry mount (I never do any more), I suspect thickness wouldn't matter much. However, if you frame so that the art is attached at the top but otherwise held in place only by the mat board, think papers are more prone to developing a wavy surface over time.

Some printers have different feed mechanisms for heavier papers. Both of my photo printers have been inexpensive Canon dye-ink printers, but both had separate feeds that worked fine with heavy papers, even canvas.

Hi Dan,

Mine has four feeds, the paper roll, a front cassette, a top, and back single feed station. After reading the manual again found out that the front cassette is used for thinner papers. I tried to feed a thin sheet through the top and got an error message of wrong media.

[Manfred M]

Hi Manfred,
The fragility is one of the concerns I had after seeing some prints come off the press, there was a bin in front of the printers that catches very large prints and I had concerns about smudging; granted a good profile is needed that hopefully uses less ink. I'm also thinking that the thinner material would be good for backlit presentations.

If the printer is set up properly, then the print should be dry as it comes off the printer. If there is smudging, then too much ink is being deposited.

The thin paper that I have is quite opaque and while your logic is correct regarding thinner paper will block less light, from a practical standpoint. On top of cellulose and lignin, paper (especially the less expensive papers) will also contain chalk and / or clay, which increase opacity. The best lightbox prints I have seen use a lightbox that either uses opal glass or translucent resin as a diffuser that is printed on a resin film.

[Polar01]

John if you are concerned about the ink drying time, in the printer setup popup I believe there are two speeds, set it for the slower one. I use to have the Epson 4900 really never worried about the ink drying. Rag papers suck the ink into the fibres and with coated it sit more on surface so I tended to let them off-gas longer.

Cheers: Allan

[Shadowman]

John if you are concerned about the ink drying time, in the printer setup popup I believe there are two speeds, set it for the slower one. I use to have the Epson 4900 really never worried about the ink drying. Rag papers suck the ink into the fibres and with coated it sit more on surface so I tended to let them off-gas longer.

Cheers: Allan

Allan,

Thanks for the information, I'll check it out.