Double sided printing? What paper choices for Epson?

I have to prepare a short run of folded cards printed on both sides. Epson has a double sided matte paper 8"x10". It's S041568, 178 gsm and 9.7 mil

What else can be used for color printing, matte, semi-gloss or glossy that has a profile one can download? This is for the Epson 900 Stylus Photo.

Thanks,

Asher

Asher,

Your choice - what you already have - seems to be a good one. I've tried many different types of matte paper for notecards, and keep ending up using the Epson double-sided matte. Granted, this is on other Epson printers, but if you have an enhanced matte profile (or whatever current name-of-the-day Epson uses), that profile generally works nicely too.

Though most people seem to like to buy pre-made notecard stock for printing, what also works is making and using templates in Photoshop, then just cutting off the excess with one of those guillotine lever type cutters to get the right size and/or full-bleed images.

Mike

I use Museum Digital from Inkjet Arts and it works very well. It has a clean white paper base and reproduces color well.

Here's a link: http://www.inkjetart.com/wc/museum/index.html

Double sided Matte Paper

The Epson is a good paper IMO. You might also consider Red River Paper. They make a 8 1/2 x 11 double sided matte paper.

Paul Caldwell

Hi Asher,

A year or two ago, I printed something for a funeral service - folded ink jet card, single sided. semi gloss inkjet image on the outside, laser printed text on the inside .
If you want quality images both sides, possibly thinner stock, double folded.

hth

Best wishes,

Ray

Thanks for the pointers. The use of a laser printer to get the other side of a glossy sstock is helpful! Must try that.

For now, I bought some of the Epson double sided Matte paper and I test how it goes. I think it's also worthwhile trying Paul's idea of Red River paper and Scott's suggestion of Museum Digital. I guess they suggest the profiles?

Thanks,

I'll post the results!

Asher

The Red River double matte offerings, while cheaper than Epson, tend to scuff more and also just don't seem to have quite the gamut. The profiles that are available for the paper is only mediocre at best. This doesn't mean they aren't acceptable, but only if 'acceptable' is, well, acceptable.

My experience also is that the quality of the Red River paper varies from time to time in uniformity of surface among other things. I don't want to damn it by faint praise, but it still is okay.

Mike

Asher,

I design cards all the time and have them professionally printed with my logo on them. Depending on the size, I pay about $25. plus shipping overnight so $34.00 for 24 cards that look very professional. Lots of finishes - gloss, linen, pearl and the comments I receive are all rave reviews. I'll send you one today just to enjoy.

Kathy Rappaport said:

Asher,

I design cards all the time and have them professionally printed with my logo on them. Depending on the size, I pay about $25. plus shipping overnight so $34.00 for 24 cards that look very professional. Lots of finishes - gloss, linen, pearl and the comments I receive are all rave reviews. I'll send you one today just to enjoy.

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That's really a great option! I hate standing by to get 200 cards! I need 10x7 folded to 5x7 with a picture full bleed on the front of the folded surface and text on the inverse.

Ink for Epson is expensive but so is time!

Thanks,

Asher

Asher - two of my 5x7 cards are in the mail - the text I have in them (size and color) for your purposes would definitely be more formal. I'd say that the US Post Office should deliver them tomorrow.

This post might be a little late but FWIW I use 2 types of paper for double sided printing. When in photo black ink mode I use Illford Gallerie Gold which has a nice texture and is what I tend to make my pano cards out of. When I am in matt inks I use somerset velvet which has the same texture on both sides. Of course these are some of my most expensive papers but once a client touces the card they are sold. Hope this helps.

Mark Prins
www.inandaimages.com

Mark Prins said:

This post might be a little late but FWIW I use 2 types of paper for double sided printing. When in photo black ink mode I use Illford Gallerie Gold which has a nice texture and is what I tend to make my pano cards out of. When I am in matt inks I use somerset velvet which has the same texture on both sides. Of course these are some of my most expensive papers but once a client touces the card they are sold. Hope this helps.

www.inandaimages.com

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Mark,

You are a Prince!

I am so happy to have this information. This is so helpful. Now when you mentioned profiles for Ilford papers, and Xrite are these made by Ilford are you do it yourself. If the latter, howw do you scan each color in the printed sheet. Are you using a ruler to guide you or something more sophisticated.

Asher

The profiles are the ones made by Illford, I haven’t got myself a profiler yet, my spyder is fairly old one of these days I will upgrade it or buy the new Epson printer. I have just finished a print run double sided that was a nightmare to get registration correct. A nightmare and a whole day to set up. In the end Quimage was the way to go. Layout one side print test page and print the second side except I change the orientation and feed the strip of paper back into the printer. The hardest part I found was the margins/gutters setup but after a few test runs I got it right. It is not simple and it has to be a good client to do that again beyond my own needs. This run was on Somerset Velvet one of the few double sided papers Epson has and my printer is in Matt mode these days. Hope that helps.

Mark Prins
www.inandaimages.com