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EPSON Stylus Photo R2880
review
by Thomas Berg
username
twberg
Nikonian in Germany
Tell a friend about this Epson R2880
review
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5.7. Comments on selected
papers
5.7.1. Premium Glossy Photo Paper
Well, in comparison to dye ink
systems, the gloss level falls short in a way that makes me wonder
why one should buy this paper; except for its very neutral colour
rendition. Its wide gamut and neutral gradation are seemingly on
par with Premium Luster.
5.7.2. Premium Luster Photo Paper,
... However, Premium Luster features this beautiful and
unproblematic fingerprint forgiving satin shine surface... I
definitely prefer Luster over Glossy for all colour prints where an
optimum compromise between pictorial impression and day-to-day
stamina (thinking of a family picture book) of media is
desired.
I like that paper very much for both colour and B&W, albeit
B&W prints exhibit a slightly warm cast compared to the very
neutral Premium Glossy paper. I am quite happy with that gentle
warm cast, it adds a friendly and inviting touch to the B&W
prints.
Someone might consider this a flaw, so it is worth knowing.
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5.7.3. Archival Matte Paper
Its dead matte characteristic
not only shows before printing, it is the same after the ink
deposition. I could not find any viewing angle under which a trace
of ink glance was observable. Its bright white makes this paper
ideally suited for images where highlights and contrast shall be
transmitted. The reduced colour gamut becomes noticeable but does
not seriously impact the look. Instead, the colour photographs
appear very lively with a three-dimensional impression. Gradation
seems to be a tad on the hard side.
The bright white adds a cool
touch to B&W prints, therefore I would prefer this paper for
colour prints rather than B&W.
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5.7.4. Premium Semi Gloss Photo
Paper
In my opinion the main
difference between Premium Semi Gloss and Premium Luster is the
smoother, silkier texture. This one appears very fine and I would
prefer Semi Gloss over Luster for portraits/fashion. Just
belly-feeling, you don't need to follow me.
Its colour reproduction and
gradation are so similar to Premium Glossy and Premium Luster,
giving me the impression that surface characteristic and glance are
the only relevant distinguishing marks.
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5.7.5.
Traditional Photo Paper
A nicely heavyweight paper which maintains shape and flatness
better than the thinner Luster and Semi-Gloss papers. Feels almost
like cardboard. The surface with its brushed appeal is quite
sensitive to slight scratches, so handle with care.
Despite its reduced gamut, I could not spot a noticeable difference
in colour rendition versus the other semi-gloss media. Also not in
gradation, it is as neutral as most other EPSON media.
Besides the price tag, it qualifies as great all-purpose-workhorse
kind of paper with great performance, excellent feel due to its
weight and stiffness and a very nice surface look (as long as it
bears no scratches). If you cannot decide on what paper to use for
a certain job and top quality is a must, traditional would be my
tip.
As the surface shine of this paper is rather below the
“semi-gloss” level, prints are almost free from gloss
differential. Nice!
This paper is not included in the defaults of the driver
installation; mind to read the instructions that come with the ICC
profile ZIP file!
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5.7.6. Water
Colour Paper Radiant White
A slightly warm tinted paper with noticeable texture and remarkable
capabilities for both B&W and Colour prints. The greatest
drawback...it is too light and thin. It seems to be the only paper
that the feeder mechanism transports somewhat aslant, eventually
yielding prints with a lopsided orientation. I also wish it had a
bit more gamut towards Blue and Magenta. This paper has a lot of
similarities with Velvet Fine Art but performs visibly less
problematic in colour rendition, does not boost saturation and form
blotches.
I think it is a beautiful and unproblematic everyday matte
paper.
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5.7.7.
Enhanced Matte Paper
This paper looks and feels like Archival Matte but bears a
different name so there should be some difference. Well, I failed
to find a name-matching profile and used the “EPSON
Matte” profile. The difference seems to be the gradation.
The gradation of Enhanced Matte is slightly on the soft side. It
retained detail in the deepest shadows better than the other matte
media. Equally, it rendered the “Face in the Tree” a
little flat, but with full detail and completely neutral. Assuming
I picked the right profile, I would imagine this paper suits high
contrast pictures better than the other papers.
Eventually, I was corrected by EPSON in that Archival Matte and
Enhanced Matte are just two names for the same product, which has
historical reasons not being explained.
The point is now, that correction means I actually picked the wrong
profile and the observation of softer gradation is due to the
profile selection!
5.7.8. Ultra
Smooth Fine Art Paper
The noticeably yellowish paper colour is something you better
should like; in particular when printing B&W the natural paper
colour throws a warm cast over the entire print, which is obviously
not compensated by adding Light Cyan.
This cast is less noticeable for colour pictures. I have the
impression that colour prints are the strength of this paper. It
exhibits very subtle details and colours in areas where Velvet Fine
Art already clips to blotches. Strange enough, the yellowish paper
colour does not at all dominate colour prints in a similar way
B&W is affected.
The sheets are heavy and strong and ultra-smooth on both sides; it
is not easy to discern face and back. Actually, I happened to
accidentally print on the back and, believe it or not, the picture
still came out nice!
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5.7.9. Velvet
Fine Art Paper
Now we are talking “Fine Art”! Heavy paper,
characteristic texture. Pick a sheet and you instantly feel what
you pay for. What a lovely paper for B&W, yielding beautiful
neutral prints with full detail, richest tonality and 3D
impression. Really great, for B&W I like it better than the
similarly lovely Watercolour paper.
Be careful with colour prints, the paper renders colours with more
saturation and contrast than indicated by the softproof preview of
Photoshop, which definitely adds punch to the image but increases
the risk of colour blotches along the cyan-blue-magenta gamut edge
as well as blotchy shadows.
In direct comparison, I find UltraSmooth better suited for colours
whereas Velvet is plain perfect for B&W.
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