- 8.5 mil thickness, 4 x 6 inches
- Brilliant, high-gloss shine perfect for framing prints
- Instant dry for smudge-free prints
- Quality guaranteed on all brands of inkjet printers
- Built-in Tru Color Technology ensures vibrant colors and sharp details
Buy Printworks High Gloss Photo Paper (00590) Now
If you are considering this for an Epson printer, go ahead and add this to your shopping cart.Still hanging around waiting for the elaborate answer? Alright, but this is ONLY a review for Epson users.
I''ve spent the past month pouring over 3,519 shots from an event to print out the choicest ones on my Epson Stylus Photo 1400 (wide format, Claria inks). After weighing various other options, the DIY route was considered best both from a control standpoint (selective cropping & rotating) and to the notion that every photo you print is the one you actually want.
To understand why I heartily recommend this PrintWorks brand it''s important to elaborate on the brands I''ve used before it.
I started with a pack of Epson Premium Glossy. Paper brand matching the printer brand. No brainer, it''s gonna print great. And it does. The crisp vibrant output is every bit identical to the look and feel from photo developers. Starting with the Epson, I took for granted the benefits the paper provided. Huh? Just read on...
When the Epson ran out, someone gave me their remaining stack of Kodak brand inkjet photo paper. Kodak''s instructions heavily encouraged maxing out the printer''s settings. The first print that came out? Disgusting. You could visibly see the ink pooled up on the surface of the paper. Yes, the ink mostly dried, but its plateau shape was clearly visible on the paper. More often than not, the roomlights catch the plateau edge and brings attention to itself. When the printer stacked up the pages on the output tray, the paper was so resistant to absorbing the ink, it let the sheet on top lift ink from the print below it. This kills the print. Several days later, a finger stroked across the surface still feels tacky... as if the ink''s ready to be rubbed off. Printer settings cranked down considerably and it still doesn''t help in any of the remaining sheets.
Next at bat, HP Premium Plus High Gloss. Like the Kodak before it, there are issues with how the ink gets absorbed. It bills itself as "High Gloss" but when its surface is angled to reflect a nearby light source, the Epson paper I''m comparing it to clearly shows a tight specular highlight (very high gloss). The HP? Noticeably diffused. This results in prints (from ANY printer) that look several steps closer to matte. For Epson users, the HP paper also exhibits pooling, but not in the same way as the Kodak. When Epson ink hits HP paper, there''s a different kind of drying-to-absorption thing going on. In large areas of solid or gradient colors, the HP paper causes some sort of ink-dot clumping. Best way I can describe it is those areas look like a stiple pattern. Other folks might mistake this for FILM GRAIN -except for the fact these are razor-sharp 18megapixel shots from a Canon 7D with beautifully smooth colors. This observation alone made me re-scrutinize prints on the Epson paper -high gloss, sharp detail, no stipling. HP''s "Premium Plus"? Poor gloss, reduced detail, noticeable stipling, and like the Kodak, feels tacky over four days later.
Enter the PrintWorks brand "High Gloss Photo Paper". Hold a sheet up and you''ll observe a tight light reflection (high gloss). Epson ink absorbs properly and STILL leaves a beautifully glossy surface. No diffusion detected. All the details from the high resolution printhead remains intact: hair detail, fabric weave, etc. As the box description promises, the ink dries completely. I rubbed my finger on the surface within 20 seconds or so and it was dry and smooth. Cost-wise this PrintWorks brand is about a third less than the Epson, HP and Kodak brands. The only notable difference is that this paper feels thinnest and that''s only if you do a direct tactile comparison. Other papers tout a 9.5-10 mil thickness. PrintWorks has a 8.5 mil thickness. Not a big deal at all especially given the price-to-performance.
Before anyone throws a fit over a review that intentionally mismatches paper-to-printer, I''m posting these Epson-centric results because all four aforementioned brands tout "Works on all inkjet printers" on the product packaging. I''m just trying to elaborate on what exactly happens to make that statement untrue.
Read Best Reviews of Printworks High Gloss Photo Paper (00590) Here
I have used both this paper and HP 5 star (supposedly their best/ highest rated) photo paper to print the exact same picture with the exact same settings. HP is a big name when it comes to printing and where I bought my photo paper, the HP paper cost more. I bought both brands on purpose so I could test out my new photo printer. I plan on buying even more brands in the future to continue my research.However, I must say, the printworks high gloss paper looks much better than its more expensive HP 5 star counter part. When I Printed the exact same photo with same settings the printworks photo came out much more vivid with nice colors. The HP photo looks much darker for some reason. I''m actually puzzled. I mean I knew paper does make a difference, but considering the photos were printed with the exact same settings, Its a pretty noticeable difference. So if you think there is no difference between photo papers, your way wrong.
Additional note here is that I have NOT test printworks other types of photo paper such as matte. I find it very interesting that when I did read a review of the printworks matte photo paper here on Amazon it actually said the exact opposite, claiming that the printworks photo came out darker. So, either it was an HP rep trying to boost their review rating or printworks only excels at glossy finish photo paper.
Summary: I cannot comment on printwork''s other types of photo paper, BUT THIS GLOSSY FINISH PHOTO PAPER IS EXCELLENT. THERE IS A NOTICABLE IMPROVEMENT OVER HP''S TOP OF THE LINE GLOSSY PAPER AND IT IS ALSO CHEAPER. DO NOT HESITATE TO TRY THIS PAPER OUT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
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