Epson ET-8550 paper options

[Rick Masters]

I am considering buying an Epson ET-8550. I have used Epson's upper end "fine art" printers for years but the cost of ink is ridiculous. From watching Youtube videos very similar print quality can be had with the much more affordable Ecotank printer. My only question is can the better Epson paper like the Cold press paper be used in this printer? Epson tech support says no but I have seen videos of printing experts using the thicker art papers with no problems. I suspect Epson is saying this because they want customers to buy the more costly printers. Does anyone have experience using these higher quality papers in their ET-8550? Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[thebestcpu]

Hi Rick
It is not an issue of thickness as the ET-8550 supports up to 1.3mm or 51 mil paper.
The main difference, I believe, is that the ET-8550 uses a mixture of dye and pigment ink, which will produce different results on the same paper as a complete pigment set of inks. e.g., different gamuts, black point, etc
There are pros and cons with dye vs pigment inks, so that might be a consideration for you.
I, too, have seen many use the ET-8550 with various papers. I think the key is that whatever paper you get, you will need a couple of essential items
1) An ICC profile for the paper/ink/printer combination, whether from the paper manufacturer or a custom-built one
2) The correct paper type settings in the printer driver, which controls the amount of ink dropped/drying time, etc. That information should come with the paper you purchase for use with the ET-8550.

I work with supported papers with ICC profiles and paper settings instead of going it alone, yet I am sure many will make their own profiles and test to see which paper printer driver settings are best to use.

Other paper manufacturers support a variety of papers for the ET-8550, including Red River.

These are just my quick options, and note I do not have the ET-8550 for printing.

I hope this info was helpful
John Wheeler

 

[Epatcola]

2) The correct paper type settings in the printer driver, which controls the amount of ink dropped/drying time, etc. That information should come with the paper you purchase for use with the ET-8550.

I have yet to see anyone demonstrate there are more than 3 1/2 actual photo paper settings.

Matt for any of the matt papers.
VFA for any of the matt papers printing slowly and using pigment black in the darker areas.
Glossy for any of the glossy and semi-glossy papers.

The 1/2 is for ultra glossy which provides a Best quality option that prints slowly and produces a different profile.

For the OP if you search hard enough you can find Epson provide profiles for these papers

Signature_Worthy_Exhibition_Fiber_Paper_for_ET-8550
Signature_Worthy_Hot_Press_Bright_for_ET-8550
Signature_Worthy_Hot_Press_Natural_for_ET-8550
Signature_Worthy_Metallic_Photo_Paper_Glossy_for_ET-8550
Signature_Worthy_Metallic_Photo_Paper_Luster_for_ET-8550

Several other paper supplies have profiles for the ET-8550 so if they managed to profile it the paper at least somewhat works on the ET-8550.

The other problem is feed rollers leaving indentations on some papers with softer surfaces.