Digital Home Thoughts: Photo Printing Paper Q&A Part 3: Epson

As someone who enjoys printing photos at home using inkjet printers, I've long been curious about some of the things I've seen with photo paper sold at retail. Is one brand of paper superior to another? Why can't I find the size and type of paper I need? Since I'm curious about some of these questions, I thought Digital Media Thoughts readers might be as well. I contacted HP, Epson, and Canon, asking them essentially the same questions. Each company was kind enough to answer my questions, so today I present to you the last of a three-part series of responses. Here's what Andrew Staples, from Walt & Company Communications (Epson's PR firm), had to say in response to my questions.

Digital Media Thoughts: Epson obviously feels paper is an important part of their printer business – I counted just over 55 different paper sizes. How many types of printer paper does Epson currently offer, and have you hit the ceiling in terms of paper development, or are there new sizes and finishes yet to be introduced?

Andrew Staples [Epson]: Paper is an integral part of Epson's commitment to deliver extraordinary image quality to its customers. In order to give our customers the flexibility and choice in photo paper finishes and sizes, Epson offers over 80 cut-sheet photo papers in a variety of finishes from glossy to canvas in a range of sizes from 4" x 6" to 36" x 44". We are always developing sizes and finishes in response to our customers' needs and interests.

DMT: What would you say to those people who were buying generic photo paper for their Epson printers – does Epson-branded paper offer an advantage over generic photo paper?

Epson: In addition to extraordinary image quality, Epson's durability advantage promises fast-drying, smudge, water and fade resistance photo paper. Using generic photo paper cheats on image quality and greatly reduces print longevity. In fact, per 3rd party testing, some generic photo paper begins to fade after only 2 or 3 months. Epson papers can last as long as 300 years in an album or up to 180 years displayed under glass depending on the Epson paper and Epson ink set.

DMT: One thing that has always baffled me is why so many photo paper sizes differ from the sizes of common photo frames. 4 x 6” paper is a given, but larger sizes become problematic. Epson was one of the few companies offering both 5 x7” and 8 x 10” photo paper, which matches up nicely with photo frames available at retail – yet those sizes seems to be in sharp decline (and try finding a frame for a 13 x 19” print!). There is no 8 x 10” or 5 x 7” option for the Epson Premium Photo Paper Semi-Gloss, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster, Photo Paper Glossy, or Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy. In fact, of your five types of gloss/semigloss photo paper, 40 types of paper in all, there’s exactly one choice for 5 x 7” and one choice for 8 x 10” – and both are Premium Photo Paper Glossy. As someone who enjoys making prints at home (I have an R1800), this disparity between paper sizes and frames is a source of constant frustration – why aren’t there more choices for 5 x 7” and 8 x 10” paper? Surely there are more people interested in printing 8 x 10” Luster photos than 17 x 22” photos.

Epson: Amateur photographers have strongly embraced 5" x 7" and 8" x 10" photo sizes for framed pictures in glossy and matte surfaces. The other predominant sizes in the market are 4" x 6" and 8.5" x 11". Aside from the Premium Photo Paper Glossy 5" x 7" and 8" x 10" photo sizes, Epson also carries Premium Presentation Paper Matte 8" x 10" perfect for non-glare photography. Epson's photo paper devotees can expect to see more "photo frame" photo paper from Epson in the near future.

DMT: Digital scrapbooking seems to be all the rage now, with all sorts of online communities and software offering creative ways for people to create digital scrapbook pages and then print them. I see Epson has some 12 x 12” matte scrapbook paper, so you’re obviously aware of this market – but the Semigloss Scrapbook Photo Paper is only available in 8.5 x 11”, not 12 x 12” (the more common scrapbook paper size). Does Epson plan to offer scrapbook enthusiasts more choices in paper?

Epson: Epson has been a strong advocate of the scrapbooking community for a number of years. Not only do we offer a 12" x 12" Matte Scrapbook Paper but many of Epson's 13" or larger printers support borderfree 12" x 12" printing. We will continue to strongly support the scrapbooking community by providing printers and paper that meet our scrapbook customer needs.

DMT: What’s the long-term outlook for photo printing – does Epson believe there will continue to be a strong drive for people to print photos are home, or have online photo printing services already significantly weakened the home printing market?

Epson: Ink jet photo printing will always have a place in the home for those who value convenience and enjoy control over image quality. The variety of choices in photo paper finishes and sizes coupled with the incredible ink jet image quality available in the market today makes ink jet photo printing a gratifying and rewarding experience.

That concludes my three-part Q&A series on photo paper. I hope Digital Media Thoughts readers found it interesting!

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He has a bit of a paper fetish.