Epson Papers

Epson ColorLife This new paper (as of August 2001) is, in Epson's words, "made with a newly designed swellable polymer ink receptive coating that will give unprotected prints excellent resistance to atmospheric contaminants." It is supposed to be far more resistant to gas fading (orange shift) than any of Epson's current papers. It is now available from Buy.com, and maybe from other locations. You can read what Epson has to say about it in this press release.

In thickness and feel, the ColorLife is pretty much the same as the other Epson Premium papers. Nicely weighted, and with no logo on the back (whether production paper will be the same I don't know). The surface texture is virtually identical to Epson Premium Luster. The Color Life paper is very slightly whiter, but not much. Personally, I have very mixed feelings about this surface. When light is reflecting off the paper into my eyes, I detest the quality of the reflection. But with the light at any other angle, it really does look very nice. If this paper really does resist orange shift succesfully, I sure hope Epson brings out a true glossy finish.

There is one huge difference between ColorLife and the Premium Luster. ColorLife is not an instant dry paper, and it is not not waterproof. It leaves the printer feeling a bit soft and tacky. Rubbing your finger on the wet print can smudge the surface. If you exercise reasonable care this shouldn't be a big problem, but I'd suggest handling it with care for the first hour or so after printing. And I wouldn't recommend it for outdoor use, or in any high humidity area. Unlike Premium Glossy, the ink will run very badly if held under running water.

The image on ColorLife paper is very noticeably cooler than the same image printed on any of the Epson Premium papers. Viewed on it's own, without comparing it to the other prints, it looks ok, for the most part. The gray scale in the Royce Bair test chart appears neutral, and the PDI target seems ok. The background of the Adobe image does, however, appear a bit bluish/purple, rather than gray. Compared to any of the other prints, however, the coolness is obvious. The background of the PDI target looks yellow on the other papers compared to the polymer papers. The faces in the PDI target and the Adobe image are much warmer on the older papers. And the background drape in the Adobe image is noticeably blue/purple in comparison. The polymer papers are too cool for my taste, but I've always felt that PGPP (and Luster) are just a bit too warm. A compromise somewhere between would be nice, but it shouldn't be too hard to warm the output a bit. And maybe a different media type setting would help.

On this note, however, I would like to strongly urge Epson to issue a revised driver that includes specific settings for this paper. Epson's practice of releasing paper after paper, but never providing driver settings matched to those papers, is intolerable. In many ways Epson works very hard to satisfy the professional artist / photographer, but this practice is truly bush league.

With the above comments in mind, overall image quality is very good, basically equal to the Premium Luster. And it does offer especially deep, rich, blacks.

Most importantly, preliminary results indicate the paper is far better at resisting orange shift than Epson's other Premium papers. Take a look at a comparison of the ColorLife and several other Epson papers, after 10 days in my ozone chamber.

Epson Premium Glossy (1st generation): The one that started it all, and the one Epson blames for the orange shift. Used with the 1270, capable of images virtually equal to top quality chemical photos. Unfortunately, also turns orange faster than any other paper tested, in all three environments. Letting the image 'cure' for 24hours, covered with another piece of paper, makes no difference. Neither does 'pre-aging' this paper by exposing it to air before printing.

But protecting this paper under glass seems to do the trick. I've had two samples sitting on my desk for a couple of months, one under a piece of glass and one on top. The one on top is quite orange-the one under the glass looks great. I also had a sample framed under glass in my ozone chamber, and after 10 or 11 days it showed no shift. However, both of these samples were in direct contact with the glass. I'll try to test another sample with a frame and matte, so there is some air space between the print and the glass.

The Black Ink Surprise: I also had a major shock while testing this paper. Epson 1270 black ink color shifts, too! A grayscale printed using black ink only, and subjected to the outdoor UV test, turned very noticeably brown! Samples of these results were sent to two members of the Epson-inkjet list. One used a microscope at about 100X to confirm that scales were printed using only black ink. The other used a spectrometer to verify that the color shift was not just a figment of my imagination.

A sample subjected to the ozone chamber test also turned brown, but only slightly.

New, Reformulated Premium Glossy Photo Paper: In November of 2000 Epson introduced a new version of the PGPP. This version incorporated an anti-oxidant in the paper coating to slow, but not eliminate, the orange shift. Unfortunately, this "version 2" PGPP was defective, and was recalled shortly after release. According to a source at Epson, the surface of the new paper can exhibit a crackle effect and can even "powder." This is apparently a production problem, as result of too much anti-oxidant in the coating.

If you've already ordered some from Epson, contact them for an authorization and they'll refund your purchase price, including shipping. Do not refuse to accept the order, or your shipping charges will not be refunded (don't ask me!). If your order hasn't yet shipped, you can call Epson to cancel it. I'm not sure what their policy is if you purchased it from another supplier. Contact Epson directly, and ask.

Apparently, Epson is already at work on a 3rd generation PGPP. Let's hope the third time's a charm. If you're still curious, the reformulated PGPP was Epson part number SO41286 (20 sheets, 8.5x11) in the U.S. This is the same stock number as the old paper, but it was easy to tell the old from the new. Read all about it here. The 3rd generation PGPP is wears a date sticker identifying it as "Manufactured December 2000," or " Manufactured 2001."

New Vs. Old Premium Glossy: I've run the 2nd generation PGPP through my ozone chamber test. The results may not reflect the performance of the 3rd generation paper, but may be of interest. I printed test charts on both the old and new papers, and put them both in the ozone test at the same time.

After 3 weeks the old PGPP is, as expected, significantly shifted, especially in the gray scale. About what I would have expected based on my prior tests.

The reformulated, "Revolutionary" PGPP, however, shows NO visible color shift! But remember that this paper has already been recalled by Epson. Royce Bair, of inkjetart.com, reports that the problem with this paper is that too much antioxidant was mixed in. I can't help but think the next version, with less antioxidant, might not work as well. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess. And I can certainly confirm the new paper is defective. Within a couple of weeks of printing, all the dark areas of the prints look like they're covered in a flurry of tiny snowflakes.

BetaTest of the New PGPP: I also had the opportunity to beta test the reformulated PGPP for Epson. It may be moot at this point, but I think the beta test results make interesting reading.

Epson Photo Paper: This is the paper Epson now says we should use for glossy prints. According to statements by various Epson representatives, this paper doesn't suffer from the orange shift. It prints quite well. The gray scale is a little bit warm compared to PGPP, although by itself it looks pretty neutral. Colors are fine, pretty highly saturated, although nothing like PGPP or the best 3rd party papers. Those who have used it know it's a bit thin compared to PGPP. What I don't like, however, is the surface texture of the paper. The paper is not as smooth as PGPP. It has kind of a random ripple texture. I'm not talking about rippling because of too much ink--this is much finer than that. Almost like the coating was applied with a brush.

Something very interesting happened with this sample. Initially, the orange shift was pretty much invisible without a control print. But when I went to scan these images, the orange shift on the ozone tested sample was much more noticeable. The sample was NOT stored in a Ziploc, but it was stacked, face down, with other samples from the ozone test. It shouldn't have gotten any significant ozone exposure. None of the other samples I've looked at seem to have continued to shift in similar conditions. I don't have any explanation for this, but I report what I see.

Color shift in the UV test was slightly worse than the ozone test initially, but now the ozone sample seems worse. The West window test showed no shift at all. Wilhelm rates this combination at 6 - 7 years. It certainly shifts much less than the PGPP, but it doesn't seem as stable as I first thought.

Epson Heavyweight Matte: If you don't want, or require, a glossy image, this may be your paper. Capable of results almost equal to the PGPP. Slightly lower saturation and detail, as you would expect from a matte finish paper, but still capable of rich colors, high contrast, and good detail. Less forgiving of flat images, however. You may find yourself punching up the contrast in PhotoShop.

It showed no color shift in the ozone soak, nor in the West facing window. In the UV exposure test, however, the entire paper stock yellowed, and the print shifted slightly toward orange. A couple of members of the epson-inkjet mailing list and comp.periphs.printers have reported some orange shift with this paper, but nowhere near as dramatic or rapid as with PGPP.

Epson Backlit Glossy Film: It's not really a substitute for glossy paper. OTOH, after holding it up in front of a light source, I'm almost ready to start building myself some light boxes to display my prints. Unbelievably rich colors when backlit. The faces on the photodisc test target are too contrasty, but that should be easily adjustable in PhotoShop.

This media is a special case. It shifted, albeit slightly, in the ozone torture test. (It showed no noticeable shift in the outdoor or west window test.) But when mounted as it will be used, with the printed side against a sheet of glass or acrylic, the inks are protected from the air, and appear to resist the orange shift quite well. (If this sounds confusing, it's because with this product you print on the back of the media, with the image reversed. You then view the image through the plastic film, with a light source illuminating it from behind.

Epson says it won't last more than a few months, but that was with older inks. I've had a copy of the Photodisc target taped to the inside of an East facing window for a couple of months, and so far there's no color shift or fade at all. (But who can afford to display everything in a light box frame.)

Epson Photo Quality Glossy Paper: This prints almost exactly like the Epson Photo Paper. The surface texture is a little bit smoother, but the stock is very thin. All in all though, much better than I expected.

Unfortunately, it shifted in all three tests, although not as badly as PGPP.

Epson Glossy Film: Very good output quality, but not as good as the PGPP. The surface is smoother than PGPP, which I like. The colors are less saturated. But boy, what a pain it is to use. And don't handle it, whatever you do, because it scratches almost as soon as you look at it.

Better stability than Epson Semi Gloss or PGPP, but still a noticeable orange shift, especially in the gray scale.

Epson Semi Gloss: I have a sample print made on an Epson 9000, on semi gloss roll paper. That paper is very smooth, with a slight luster to the surface. I really, really like that paper, and I expected this new paper to be the same, only in cut sheets instead of rolls.

Unfortunately, the new paper turns out to be completely different. The new premium semi gloss has a textured surface, a very fine "pebbled" finish, almost like the stuff photofinishers used to call "matte", but not as coarse. It also has a noticeably warmer tone. I don't like it much, but some might find it suitable for their purposes. FWIW, the color reproduction is very good, not quite as saturated as the PGPP, but close. The grayscale is very slightly to the warm side of neutral.

And, while it didn't shift as badly as PGPP, it still turned noticeably orange, especially in the gray scale.

Epson Premium Luster: I've already said I'm not fond of this surface. It's a fine pebble grain finish, and I have always preferred smooth finish papers for most things. But to each his or her own. It prints very well, with results very close to that on PGPP.

Unfortunately, it shifts like all the other Epson Premium papers. About as badly as the semi-gloss. Not too surprising, since I'm pretty sure they all use the same micro-pore technology. I certainly hope that once Epson gets the mix of antioxidants right, it will put it in all its Premium papers.

So, where does this leave us? Well, it leaves me convinced that Epson's explanation doesn't hold water. And since I sent a bunch of these samples to Epson, they should know better.

As of October 2000, Epson has released a new Luster finish paper, and will soon be releasing the reformulated Premium Glossy. I hope to get samples of both papers to test.

Epson Archival Matte: This paper was introduced with the 2000P, and isn't recommended bu Epson for the 1270. It's a bit heavier and whiter than the Heavyweight Matte. It's definitely thicker than Heavyweight Matte, although still a little bit prone to curling in very dark areas. Printed using the heavyweight matte setting, the results are a bit cooler, and less saturated than the same image on HWM. I tried using the Photo Paper setting, and results are a bit warmer, and more dense, but still seem a little bit 'dull' compared to HWM. But some tweaking with the driver (or a profiler) should get very nice images.

I've put samples of this, and the Heavyweight matte for comparison, in the ozone chamber and in the West window. So far, after 5 days, neither one shows any shift or fade.

Epson Watercolor: I've generally preffered smooth finish papers for my photographs. Either glossy, or a smooth semi-gloss (like Ilford semi-matte). But after trying this paper, and a few others, I'm beginning to re-think things. The paper has a nice wieght, and fairly strong "tooth". I printed using the HWM setting on my 1270. Colors are bright and rich. Compared to PGPP, colors are not quite as saturated, but they're really not that far behind. It's a bit warm compared to PGPP, which makes it warmer than I like, but not unpleasently so. Reds are a bit more orangely than with PGPP, though, which isn't good. Different paper settings, of course, may change this. On the positive side, the texture does not interfere with apparent sharpness, at least viewed with the naked eye. I'm very curious to see how this does in the ozone test.

Unfortunately, orange shift resistance is only fair. It's doing better than the Ilford Fine Art I tested at the same time, but after two weeks it's already showing some shift. To put this in perspective, it's quite a bit better than Epson PGPP, which showed dramatic shift in the same time period (even the 3rd generation). But it's not nearly as good as HWM, or some other papers I've tested. In low shift environments, or perhaps with better inks, this paper could be very nice.

Using the PGPP setting, colors are a very close match to PGPP, but less saturated. The photodisc image is softer, and a bit muted compared to PGPP. Probably very nice for portraits.

Using the Photo Quality Glossy Film setting, I like it a lot better. The colors are brighter, the photodisc image seems sharper. The output is about as warm as PGPP, but less deeply saturated. As a general rule I prefer smooth papers to textured ones, but the texture on this is much finer than on most "semi-gloss" papers. The output is very nice, especially if you like warm toned papers, rather than bright white ones.

But, like all the other Epson micropore papers, this one shifts badly in the ozone chamber. Every bit as badly as the original PGPP, which makes it worse than Epson Luster or Semi-Gloss. In the west window, no visible shift after 5 days.