If you want your photographic images to be professional quality, you want to use extremely high-quality, specialized paper. Epson media offers various products for this purpose for its professional imaging printers. Here are the 16 best options you have when you want to make photographic prints using Epson products.
Photographic Prints: Our List of Top Epson Media Products to Use
#1 – Legacy Paper Sample Pack
For fine art or photographic printing, you know you want incredibly high-quality paper. However, narrowing down your specific choice can be tricky. Offering three sheets each of Legacy Platine , Legacy Baryta, Legacy Fibre, and Legacy Etching paper, the Legacy Paper Sample Pack allows you to test these Epson professional photo paper options before making a final selection.
#2 – Signature Worthy Paper Sample Pack
This sample pack includes two sheets of all seven Epson media products in another line intended for fine art and photographic printing. The Signature Worthy Paper Sample Pack includes Cold Press Bright, Cold Press Natural, Exhibition Fiber Paper (below), Hot Press Bright, Hot Press Natural, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster (below), and Velvet Fine Art Paper.
#3 – Legacy Baryta
With a sleek, white finish, this traditional baryta paper is reminiscent of F-surface silver halide darkroom papers. Offering outstanding image durability and permanence, this Epson paper lets you get easy gradations in tone and a broader color gamut. Legacy Baryta, coated twice with barium sulphate, also produces intense blacks via D-max, an inkjet receptive layer with thousands of microscopic pores.
#4 – Legacy Platine
Legacy Platine introduces a base of pure cotton to the F-surface, silver halide appearance, known for its smooth satin touch. It’s also made of 100 percent cotton fibers but does not reach the whiteness and brightness levels of Baryta though, with ISO brightness and whiteness at 85 and 82 for Platine — compared to 93 and 90 for Baryta. That said, Epson’s Legacy Platine is the widest color gamut paper that we’ve ever profiled! So if your images are extremely colorful, this paper has the best shot of printing true to your original image.
#5 – Exhibition Fiber Paper
This paper is one of Epson’s star accomplishments in photographic media. Designed with input from various accomplished photographers and intended specifically for the company’s UltraChrome K3 ink, this paper is one of the highest-end options Epson has available. While fiber-based products have generally not been able to print strongly in color and to allow for strong black-and-white tonal shifts and D-max, Exhibition Fiber Paper can achieve that dual objective. Similar to silver halide papers that were traditionally preferred, some of the world’s best photography has been created using Exhibition Fiber Paper.
#6 – Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster (260)
Luster paper has historically been used by school, wedding, and portrait photographers. You can avoid any cockles and get a great presentation with a 10-mil RC base. Your photography will look incredibly lifelike with the high D-max and maximum ink coverage. Choose Premium Luster Photo Paper from the Epson media options for a vivid representation that resembles conventional silver halide – with a paper that shares its “orange peel” or Luster E surface – and dries instantly.
#7 – Ultra Premium Luster Paper
This Epson media product is Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster (260) in a cut-sheet version. Any Epson ink can be used with Ultra Premium Luster Paper, as with the original.
#8 – Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (250)
With a surface that is perfect for any of Epson’s inks, this instantly drying product gives you a similar quality as Premium Luster Photo Paper. There is not as much texture on the surface of this product as the luster version, although there is a little bit of an “orange peel” feel. This paper gives you a high D-max and maximum ink coverage for a look so vivid it is reminiscent of traditional silver halide images. Whether you are creating landscapes or portraits, Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper combines an impeccable surface and finish so you can produce exhibition-grade prints.
#9 – Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (170)
This Epson media is identical to Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (250) except that it is thinner. This paper, which works both with pigment and dye ink systems, can be safeguarded from moisture and light with lamination. Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (170) is used widely by print-for-pay providers, graphic artists, and photographers. Thanks to its resin-coated (RC) barrier, this Epson paper is able to create images nearly as lifelike as traditional prints.
#10 – Premium Photo Paper Semi-Gloss
This product is identical to Premium Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (250) but is a cut-sheet version. You can touch and see the true photographic quality as you present captivating images with Premium Photo Paper Semi-Gloss.
#11 – Premium Glossy Photo Paper (250)
Enjoy trouble-free handling and display with this paper’s non-cockling and instant-drying traits. Plus, the high D-max and maximum ink coverage give you great saturation. With the highest gloss of any resin-coated photographic paper made by Epson, Premium Glossy Photo Paper (250) offers clarity that is embraced by landscape and nature photographers.
#12 – Premium Glossy Photo Paper (170)
This product is the lightweight version of Premium Glossy Photo Paper (250), which is similarly well-suited for posters, displays, promotional pieces, proofs, layouts, and photographs. Like the heavier version, Premium Glossy Photo Paper (170) is resin-coated and dries instantly.
#13 – Premium Photo Paper Glossy
When you want to display enlargements and beloved photographs in photo albums and glass frames, Premium Photo Paper Glossy is ideal. This water- and smudge-resistant Epson media is Premium Glossy Photo Paper (250) in a cut-sheet version.
#14 – Premium Semimatte Photo Paper (260)
This product is well-suited for photographic fine art with its ability to minimize glare. The striking smoothness and performance of Premium Semimatte Photo Paper (261) allow professional graphic artists and photographers get the best results in presentation-quality images.
#15 – Metallic Photo Paper Luster
This Epson paper offers an incredibly deep appearance, with a metallic E surface. With a semi-gloss finish, strong color gamut, and powerful D-max, Metallic Photo Paper Luster boasts whiteness and brightness figures of 93 percent and 83 percent.
#16 – Metallic Photo Paper Glossy
This Epson professional photo paper is fashioned after the Metallic Photo Paper Luster except that its finish is high-gloss and extremely smooth. The whiteness and brightness of the Metallic Photo Paper Glossy are a little different from the luster version too at 95 and 81 percent.
Your Epson Media Partner
Do you think any of these Epson media could be right for your needs? At Digital Technology Group (DTG), we can help. In fact, our headquarters showcases the only Epson Certified Solution Center in the Southeastern United States. Contact us today to learn more about our Epson Media products or schedule a demo. We also offer custom ICC profiles for Epson media for a variety of Epson professional printer models. Built with the industry’s most advanced spectrophotometers by a color expert with over 25 years of experience, these ICC profiles will give you the widest color gamut, greatest dMax (blackest blacks), and most accurate color & soft proofs.