Epson has a long history in inkjet printing. By now all users of images must be familiar with their large range of printers. In many ways Epson is the benchmark, the product that all others are judged against.

Up to now I don’t believe the same could be said for their paper. Epson made some decent enough papers that were competent but certainly not exciting or inspiring. I assume if you are reading this review that you are capable of being inspired and excited by inkjet printing paper.

Under review is the new range of Epson fine art papers. The range consists of 4 matt papers, 2 textured and 2 warm toned. It’s simpler than it sounds. There is Hot Press which is a very smooth paper and Cold Press which is lightly textured. The Bright designation refers to a white clean paper and Natural is warm toned. The 4 surfaces are therefore: Hot Press Bright, Hot Press Natural, Cold Press Bright and Cold Press Natural.

The paper is available in roll from 17 inches up to 60 inches and cut sheet from A3 plus to A2. Being supplied by Colour Corporate gives me some confidence that availability should not be a problem. I have struggled in the past to get hold of certain papers with some suppliers not holding significant stock.

Hot Press Bright:

I love this paper. It is very bright with a lovely smooth surface that somehow still has a lot of life. Some smooth matt papers have a synthetic feel but not this one. It does contain optical brighteners which not everyone likes; personally I have no problems with it. Usually I have no difficulty determining the printing surface of a paper but with this one it is difficult to tell. Fortunately there is a label in the box indicating the printable surface.

Hot Press Natural:

The same smooth surface as the Bright but without the optical brighteners and with a warm tone. I have never been a huge fan of toned papers, particularly with colour images, as it impacts on the blues and cool tones besides degrading the maximum white and so further reducing maximum contrast, something matt papers struggle with anyway. I find to my surprise that I like this paper for my B/W images, but not as much as I like the Cold Press Natural.

Cold Press Bright:

My least favourite of the 4 papers. It seems odd to have a textured paper this bright. Like a Ferrari with sheep skin seat covers. Papers have a personality and this one clashes with me. Don’t get me wrong, it well made and prints beautifully. I just don’t like it. It’s a personal thing.

Cold Press Natural:

My favourite paper for B/W images. I think the subtle warm tone works very well with the light texture. Strange to say but this paper has an old world charm that manages to not overpower the image.

All tests with the paper were done on an Epson 11880 printer with Imageprint 8. I printed both B/W and colour on all the surfaces.

Now I have a confession to make. I have been using the Hot Press Bright and Cold Press Natural for a number of months. Perhaps that makes this revue less plausible, perhaps it makes it more plausible. When I was approached by Colour Corporate to write a revue for a new range of Epson papers I was happy to oblige because it meant I would get my hands on a sample pack of new paper. I was first disappointed then amused when the samples arrived and I realized that it was paper I was already very familiar with. Having used the paper for a while I can perhaps offer a few insights that I would not have seen using just a sample pack.

The paper is very well made, very stable, no flecking, that dreadful habit some inkjet papers have of losing small flakes of the coated surface. As you would expect of a fine art paper this is a heavy weight at 330g.  It may seem a small thing but to me it is important and that is the packaging. The paper is well packaged in a decent box that makes a lovely storage container when the paper is finished. For a complete sensory experience the paper smells oddly like conventional silver gelatine photographic paper. It is a smell I have come to associate with the new baryta inkjet papers. Silly I know but after years in conventional darkrooms I find the smell quite reassuring.

In summary, if you are looking for a solid well made inkjet paper that comes in four distinct yet complimentary flavours then this new Epson range could be for you. Its heavyweight, archival and high quality characteristics make this a premium product, i.e., it is not cheap. It is designed for top quality printing of your top quality images. It would be a simple thing to make this paper your standard for all premium quality matt printing. I certainly have.