Customer Reviews

Epson Premium Glossy 8 1/2 x 11 Inch Photo Paper 20 Count (S041286)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a professional photographer, I've tested many different types of paper and Epson's Premium Line is by far the best. Everyone who sees the results (printed on the Epson 870/1270) can't believe it. The look and feel is the same as a photograph. The only way you'd know it was printed on an inkjet is by looking at the back to see the 'Epson' watermark.

Epson also produces the Premium Luster (an "E" surface or matte paper) and Premium Semi-Gloss Papers. They are all great papers, but the Premium Glossy affords the most contrast (which is to be expected from a glossy paper).

To lenghten this paper's longevity we reccomend displaying behind glass or keeping the prints in sheet protectors where the print doesn't have contact with the air. Under those conditions it will last a long time without a noticeable change--probably years, if not longer, according to Epson

This paper is THE paper to use if you want to print photos that look exactly like real photos from you Epson 1270, 870 printers! I haven't found a lower price than here.

Until a few months ago, this was by far the best quality paper available for printing photos with a good photo printer, such as the Epson Stylus Photo 870. Print contrast, brightness, resolution, and color saturation, are excellent. The paper also works very well with black and white photographs. The blacks are remarkably deep and rich. Epson warns purchasers that the prints made with this paper are not as permanent as those made with conventional photographic papers, and it is important to protect the finished prints by putting them in albums or frames, and of course they must be kept away from direct sunlight. But Epson has now upstaged this paper with the new Epson ColorLife Paper. ColorLife is a semigloss paper that is generally superior to Premium Glossy, in terms of color saturaton and fine detail. And ColorLife is said to be much more resistant to fading.

This paper produces outstanding prints with Epson Photo printers, but there have been numerous reports that the images tend to turn orange over a fairly short time; supposedly, Epson's cyan ink reacts with atmospheric ozone when printed on this paper.

Epson is aware of this problem, and is working on a more stable version of this paper. They are also quietly accepting returns of printers and media from customers complaining about the orange-shift effect.

I've used this paper a bit, and haven't noticed any problems yet, but your mileage may vary.

I have used this paper with several Epson printers and I must say that I was amazed every time I use it. Once you set your printer to print pictures no other, paper will do if you want truly photographic quality pictures. The paper itself if of very high quality and feels and looks just like the paper you get from the photo development store. I would recommend this paper very much if you want to print photos at home in very high quality.

Multiple forums have postings with a very similar tone: "there have been numerous reports of color deterioration, usually (insert color here) after several weeks". Well folks, having used up 20 packages of this paper, I can only offer one comment: bunk. The paper, ink and color quality are superb. Pictures I have hung on the wall look the same as they did a year ago. People can NOT tell they are from an inkjet printer and assume they are from a photo lab. This is great paper. Just use Epson cartridges. I am shooting 2.4M photos from an Olympus 2500 and the results on an Epson 870 with this paper are nothing short of spectacular.

Believe me paper matters. When you put the wrong paper in your printer, you get very weird results.

P.S. This review was before I had used Kodak's One Touch to better Pictures. Please see my Kodak Paper review prior to making your buying decision. I was really impressed with what Kodak did.

REVIEW IS BASED ON USE ON THE EPSON 890:
When I bought my Epson 890, I bought several different packs of Epson paper, this 8.5 X 11 one and some 4 X 6 sheets as well as the roll paper. See my separate reviews on the others items (including the printer) also on this site, if you are interested in them. However, finally, I got around to trying the 8.5 X 11 paper. You see you wait until you have the perfect picture to do an enlargement.

NICE QUALITY IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT USES
It did not dissappoint. Wow, the colors were great. I took several types of pictures and different lighting and the result were great. Now that I've tried it I'm hooked. People who have seen the pictures first of all can't believe they are off an inkjet printer. Then they marvel at the color and sharpness of the photo.

PAPER AND PRINTER INTERATION:
One caution, those of you that think you can use any paper on any printer... Forget it. I had some paper from another supplier and when I used it on the Epson, the ghostly images were terrible. It seems not surprisingly that the printers are optimized for their papers. And to be honest, it is not worth the money to me to try a bunch of other manufacturer's paper only to find out the results would be bad.

EASIER TO FIND ON THE WEB THAN IN THE STORES:
This paper is easier to find on the net. I have looked in my usual spots for this paper off the web and considering not only computer, office supply and grocery stores it is just not out there.

Great product... Enjoy.

I have been doing 35mm photography for more than 20 years. This paper produces better color than 8 X 10's from the local photofinisher. Colors pop, white is really white and detail is very good.

Epson also makes a slightly lower grade glossy paper: use it or other "lightweight" brands for proofs or "first tries." Once you have your software and printer producing what you want, make your final copies (the ones you want to frame) on this paper.

I use this paper with an Epson Photo 960 using the "Premium glossy Photo Paper" option. It prints photos as nice as any Ive seen printed. These are great looking photos. Now if they could do something about the price.

I have been taking digital pictures for several years now and have tried dozens of kinds of paper and NONE do the job like the Epson Premium Glossy Paper. You can not tell by looking that the picture was not printed by a professional. You may pay a little more for Epson but it is worth it, why take a fantastic picture and print it and be disappointed. I highly recommend spending the extra money and using the best. Anytime I try another brand I end up throwing the photo away.