Photo printing with Epson C84 -- what paper to use?

[me]

I have an Epson C84, which prints well on plain paper. That's primarily
what I use it for.

But I was interested in printing some photos with it. I realize there
are better printers for photos out there, but I was hoping avoid buying
a new one.

The first question is: is it possible to get good looking photos with
this printer. The plain paper pictures look all right, but the thin
paper isn't very impressive.

I was hoping that better paper would give better results, and I was
wondering was what the best paper to use with it.

I bought some Kodak photo paper, but when I printed with it, the dark
areas came out looking "cracked". That was no good. I guess the Epson
DuraBrite ink is different than the ink that the Kodak paper expected.

I'm not really sure what the difference is between the all the different
kinds of paper. So what paper should I use?

Please post replies to this newgroup -- replies to the e-mail address
will not be read. (Stupid spammers!)

 

[Charles]

We have been using Epson photo paper with the C82, C84 and other Epson
printers and the results are outstanding.
You will be pleasantly surprised.


Charles
---

 

[chrlz]

While it is only a 4-colour printer, I think you will be impressed with
it's performance on good paper. 6-colour printers have much smoother
colours will less 'dithering', but at normal viewing distances you may
be hard pressed to spot the difference. Stick to Epson (or Canon!)
photo-quality paper - I like the premium photo and heavyweight matte
personally, but then i use different printers...

The `real` paper is quite competitively priced anway. Cheap papers
commonly do not absorb the ink properly for some colours, leaving the
cracked or bubbled effect. If the manufacturer claims that it will
work on all printers, take it back and demand a refund (I'm a bit sick
of the claims made by these papers!).

About the only other paper that I have used with some success is Ilford
Premium Photo Pearl. Other Ilfords exhibit the same problem to some
extent, sadly.

 

[RobbH]

I have an Epson C84, which prints well on plain paper. That's primarily
what I use it for.

But I was interested in printing some photos with it. I realize there
are better printers for photos out there, but I was hoping avoid buying
a new one.

I use Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight and occasionally Epson Double-Sided
Matte Paper with this printer. It is reported to work well with Epson
Photo Paper (a medium-gloss paper, not to be confused with Photo Quality
Paper or Premium Glossy Photo Paper).

While it is certainly not the best printer for photos, the results are more
than satisfactory.

 

[Joseph Meehan]

I have an Epson C84, which prints well on plain paper. That's
primarily what I use it for.

But I was interested in printing some photos with it. I realize there
are better printers for photos out there, but I was hoping avoid
buying a new one.

The first question is: is it possible to get good looking photos with
this printer. The plain paper pictures look all right, but the thin
paper isn't very impressive.

I was hoping that better paper would give better results, and I was
wondering was what the best paper to use with it.

I bought some Kodak photo paper, but when I printed with it, the dark
areas came out looking "cracked". That was no good. I guess the
Epson DuraBrite ink is different than the ink that the Kodak paper
expected.

I'm not really sure what the difference is between the all the
different kinds of paper. So what paper should I use?

Please post replies to this newgroup -- replies to the e-mail address
will not be read. (Stupid spammers!)

There are many good papers out there, but "good" is not universal. That
is a paper that works well in one printer may not work so well in another.
In additions there may be factors that are not immediately noticeable, such
as useful life.

I suggest you start with your owner's manual and real Epson ink and the
paper the manual recommends for photos. That combination is likely to be
the best or close to it that you can do with that printer. Make sure you
have updated your printer driver from Epson as well.

Once you have some good examples of what can be done, then you can try
other makes of products to see how they do.

Good Luck

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Yes, you can get quite nice photos from the Epson C84 printer.

I suggest starting with Epson papers designed for this printer. There
is a Durabrite ink paper for glossy, and a number of matte surface
papers. This printer uses a pigment colorant ink, and most glossy
papers are still designed for dye colorant inks. Epson enhances or
heavy weight matte is nice for a matte surface, and glossy there is
Durabrite and a few others. Epson has a list on their website for which
papers and inks are compatible.

Art

 

[measekite]

If you want to test a particular printer the first test would be with
the mfg ink and paper. Use epson ink and Epson Glossy Paper, their less
expensive line.

 

[Ron Baird]

Greetings Me,

Since you are using Kodak paper, you may want to review the Kodak site for
details on what settings might be best for your printer and Kodak paper.
Kodak has gone to the trouble of testing most every printer on the market
today, and then posting those settings on our web site. These settings
should make a significant difference in your printing with Kodak paper. Try
going to the following URL to get this data.

Also, please note that if you use the Kodak EasyShare software it
incorporates the OneTouch feature (settings for most printers and Kodak
paper are included in the program). You can download the software for free
on the Kodak site as well. Maximizes your printing with Kodak paper.

http://www.kodak.com/go/onetouch

http://www.kodak.com/go/easysharesw

If you think I can help you with any printing questions etc. please let me
know.

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company

 

[me]

Thanks for all the replies! I'll check them out and see how it goes.

 

[Stanley Krute]

Arthur Entlich noted:

Epson has a list on their website for which papers and inks are
compatible.

Here are some specific paper suggestions from
Epson Re: the C84:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...id=36033903&foid=34584&cat=30942&subcat=30926


-- stan