Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (More info?)
The nod, with a lot of close looking, goes to Canon but the practical
nod goes to Costco/Kirkland when it come to paper when printing with a
Canon IP4000 using OEM ink.
This is not a real test as it is totally subjective and empirically
observed.
The Players:
Canon IP4000
Canon OEM Ink
Canon Photo Paper Pro
Costco/Kirkland Pro Glossy Inkjet Paper (Swiss Made) some say Ilford
Gallerie Smooth Glossy
SureThing Glossy Photo Paper
Fiskars Rotary Paper Cutter 12" purchased at Costco for $29.95. Has
Fiskars Label but the model in its appearance is unique to Costco.
Notes:
SureThing is a company that sells great CD Label design software and
labels. The labels they sell are designed, engineered and specified by
SureThing but outsourced for their manufacturer. For those who use
labels their label applicator is not as good as CD Stomper. Recently
they have developed Photo Organization Software and they have engineered
and specified Photo Paper designed to work with all inkjet printers but
the manufacture is left to other paper mills.
The Canon Photo Paper Pro was purchased in a 75 pack of 4x6 for a cost
of $29.95.
The Costco/Kirkland package consists of 125 8.5x11 sheets at $18.95 per box.
The SureThing paper was given to me by SureThing as samples in a 5x7 size.
Both the SureThing and Costco paper were cut into 4x6 sheets using the
Fiskars Trimmer. I cut 2 sets of the Costco paper and the results were
somewhat different. If you trim by laying the photo side down and then
print the resulting cut edges a somewhat noticeable and not quite as
sharp. If you cut using the photo side up the resulting edges are
almost but not quite as good as the precut Canon when observing those
edges after the photo has been printed. If you trim after printing, it
is best to use the photo side up. Because of this I plan on getting a
pair of white cotton gloves when trimming so I do not get oils from
fingers and hands on the photo paper.
Input:
The input was a professional photograph supplied by Adobe via PS7. The
name was testpic.tiff and is included in PS7. This is a colorful photo
of a lady wearing a fruit basket hat in a colorful gown playing a
stringed musical instrument. This professional photograph has already
been edited to the max. The only thing I did was used the Canon PR1
profile inside PhotoShop, the software that was used to initiate printing.
Method:
This photo was printed using the Canon Print Driver set to Canon Photo
Paper Pro. During the first test run the driver was set to high using
no special effects. The second test run the items of the effects menu
that were turned on were the noise optimizers and the vivid box was
checked. The Photos were left to dry over night before being evaluated.
The evaluations were conducted in 3 different circumstances. The first
under a halogen light. The second in bright open shade and the last in
bright sunlight.
Results:
Differences were greatest when viewing under a halogen light and least
when viewing in open shade. The color rendition was virtually the same
with all 3 papers; however, the skin tone of the SureThing very slightly
favored magenta but only so slightly. They were all excellent.
Canon Photo Paper Pro - The surface was almost like glass. It was very
shiny and appeared the image was on a frozen lake that froze quickly
with almost no ripples. This glass like finish did allow for some
minimal imperfections that resembled a minute dust particle here and
there. The results were very sharp with good contrast and tonal range.
Skin tones were very pleasing and the colors were rich. The texture was
like painting with an ultra fine roller creating a finish without
stipple but you could see a small piece of a hair particle.
Costco/Kirkland Paper - This surface was almost like glass as well but
with a slightly greater degree of almost. It was glistening and
appeared and appeared the image was on a frozen lake that froze
reasonably quick but with a gentle 5 mile per hour breeze creating a
print that had an super ultra fine texture that could be seen at various
angles and lighting conditions. Skin tones were indistinguishable from
the Canon print. The texture also was like a painting with a fine
roller creating a finish with minimal stipple. With this finish you
could see virtually no imperfections.
SureThing Glossy - This paper produced fine results as well. The finish
was more textured that looked like it was on a frozen lake with
relatively breezy conditions. The color was good but the skin tones
were less pleasing. The textured look, especially when viewing at
angles and under various types of lights looked like it was painted with
a moderately fine roller creating moderate stipple. However, when
viewing straight on from a foot or two away, the texture became minimal.
Cost in US Currency:
SureThing's cost in 50 sheet packages at $12.95 a pack costs 25.9 cents
a sheet.
Canon Photo Paper Pro cost in 75 sheet packages was $29.95 a pack costs
39 cents a sheet.
Costco/Kirkland cost was calculated because it is only sold in 125 sheet
packs of 8.5x11 at $18.95 costing 15.16 cents per 8.5x11 sheet. From
this sheet you can get either 3 4x6 sheets or 2 4x6 sheets and 1 5x7
sheet that produced less waste.
My first cut was 5 inches across and produced a 5x8.5 (42.4 sq") sheet
that ultimately became a 5x7 sheet after removing the waste. The
remainder produced a 6x8.5 that when cut in half produced 2 25.5 sq"
pieces that ultimately became 2 4x6 sheets after removing the waste. If
you add 2 @ 25.5 and 1 @ 42.5 you get a total of 93.5 sq" from the large
sheet that does include waste. Then the 25.5 representing a 4x6
(including the waste) is 27.27% of the total. Therefore the cost of a
4x6 Costco sheet amounts to 4.14 cents.
The Envelope Please:
Keep in mind longevity factors were not considered.
It is clear that the SureThing photo, while pleasing, lags far enough
behind the other two that I would not use this as long as the others
were available.
The Winner is Canon, when disregarding cost, and only by a whisker.
Canon is also the loser since the extremely small marginal advantage in
quality is very cost prohibited.
THE ULTIMATE WINNER IS COSTCO/KIRKLAND. You could only see the fine
texture when using a halogen light and looking at the photograph at
various angles. The different in quality results is so very very
minimal and the different in cost is so extremely high that this is the
CLEAR WINNER. You can print almost nine and a half Costco prints (paper
cost) to 1 Canon print. So if you ever wondered "Where's the Beef" you
will find there is not.
Closing:
The Photos printed with vivid effects on were more pleasing in some
respects and less in others. The skin tones may have been too deep but
without it some would say that it looks too pale. Personally, I would
like to print in the middle.
For those of you that are not near a Costco, you can purchase it for the
same price at www.costco.com.
Also, as I said before the results were obtained using Canon OEM ink.
The nod, with a lot of close looking, goes to Canon but the practical
nod goes to Costco/Kirkland when it come to paper when printing with a
Canon IP4000 using OEM ink.
This is not a real test as it is totally subjective and empirically
observed.
The Players:
Canon IP4000
Canon OEM Ink
Canon Photo Paper Pro
Costco/Kirkland Pro Glossy Inkjet Paper (Swiss Made) some say Ilford
Gallerie Smooth Glossy
SureThing Glossy Photo Paper
Fiskars Rotary Paper Cutter 12" purchased at Costco for $29.95. Has
Fiskars Label but the model in its appearance is unique to Costco.
Notes:
SureThing is a company that sells great CD Label design software and
labels. The labels they sell are designed, engineered and specified by
SureThing but outsourced for their manufacturer. For those who use
labels their label applicator is not as good as CD Stomper. Recently
they have developed Photo Organization Software and they have engineered
and specified Photo Paper designed to work with all inkjet printers but
the manufacture is left to other paper mills.
The Canon Photo Paper Pro was purchased in a 75 pack of 4x6 for a cost
of $29.95.
The Costco/Kirkland package consists of 125 8.5x11 sheets at $18.95 per box.
The SureThing paper was given to me by SureThing as samples in a 5x7 size.
Both the SureThing and Costco paper were cut into 4x6 sheets using the
Fiskars Trimmer. I cut 2 sets of the Costco paper and the results were
somewhat different. If you trim by laying the photo side down and then
print the resulting cut edges a somewhat noticeable and not quite as
sharp. If you cut using the photo side up the resulting edges are
almost but not quite as good as the precut Canon when observing those
edges after the photo has been printed. If you trim after printing, it
is best to use the photo side up. Because of this I plan on getting a
pair of white cotton gloves when trimming so I do not get oils from
fingers and hands on the photo paper.
Input:
The input was a professional photograph supplied by Adobe via PS7. The
name was testpic.tiff and is included in PS7. This is a colorful photo
of a lady wearing a fruit basket hat in a colorful gown playing a
stringed musical instrument. This professional photograph has already
been edited to the max. The only thing I did was used the Canon PR1
profile inside PhotoShop, the software that was used to initiate printing.
Method:
This photo was printed using the Canon Print Driver set to Canon Photo
Paper Pro. During the first test run the driver was set to high using
no special effects. The second test run the items of the effects menu
that were turned on were the noise optimizers and the vivid box was
checked. The Photos were left to dry over night before being evaluated.
The evaluations were conducted in 3 different circumstances. The first
under a halogen light. The second in bright open shade and the last in
bright sunlight.
Results:
Differences were greatest when viewing under a halogen light and least
when viewing in open shade. The color rendition was virtually the same
with all 3 papers; however, the skin tone of the SureThing very slightly
favored magenta but only so slightly. They were all excellent.
Canon Photo Paper Pro - The surface was almost like glass. It was very
shiny and appeared the image was on a frozen lake that froze quickly
with almost no ripples. This glass like finish did allow for some
minimal imperfections that resembled a minute dust particle here and
there. The results were very sharp with good contrast and tonal range.
Skin tones were very pleasing and the colors were rich. The texture was
like painting with an ultra fine roller creating a finish without
stipple but you could see a small piece of a hair particle.
Costco/Kirkland Paper - This surface was almost like glass as well but
with a slightly greater degree of almost. It was glistening and
appeared and appeared the image was on a frozen lake that froze
reasonably quick but with a gentle 5 mile per hour breeze creating a
print that had an super ultra fine texture that could be seen at various
angles and lighting conditions. Skin tones were indistinguishable from
the Canon print. The texture also was like a painting with a fine
roller creating a finish with minimal stipple. With this finish you
could see virtually no imperfections.
SureThing Glossy - This paper produced fine results as well. The finish
was more textured that looked like it was on a frozen lake with
relatively breezy conditions. The color was good but the skin tones
were less pleasing. The textured look, especially when viewing at
angles and under various types of lights looked like it was painted with
a moderately fine roller creating moderate stipple. However, when
viewing straight on from a foot or two away, the texture became minimal.
Cost in US Currency:
SureThing's cost in 50 sheet packages at $12.95 a pack costs 25.9 cents
a sheet.
Canon Photo Paper Pro cost in 75 sheet packages was $29.95 a pack costs
39 cents a sheet.
Costco/Kirkland cost was calculated because it is only sold in 125 sheet
packs of 8.5x11 at $18.95 costing 15.16 cents per 8.5x11 sheet. From
this sheet you can get either 3 4x6 sheets or 2 4x6 sheets and 1 5x7
sheet that produced less waste.
My first cut was 5 inches across and produced a 5x8.5 (42.4 sq") sheet
that ultimately became a 5x7 sheet after removing the waste. The
remainder produced a 6x8.5 that when cut in half produced 2 25.5 sq"
pieces that ultimately became 2 4x6 sheets after removing the waste. If
you add 2 @ 25.5 and 1 @ 42.5 you get a total of 93.5 sq" from the large
sheet that does include waste. Then the 25.5 representing a 4x6
(including the waste) is 27.27% of the total. Therefore the cost of a
4x6 Costco sheet amounts to 4.14 cents.
The Envelope Please:
Keep in mind longevity factors were not considered.
It is clear that the SureThing photo, while pleasing, lags far enough
behind the other two that I would not use this as long as the others
were available.
The Winner is Canon, when disregarding cost, and only by a whisker.
Canon is also the loser since the extremely small marginal advantage in
quality is very cost prohibited.
THE ULTIMATE WINNER IS COSTCO/KIRKLAND. You could only see the fine
texture when using a halogen light and looking at the photograph at
various angles. The different in quality results is so very very
minimal and the different in cost is so extremely high that this is the
CLEAR WINNER. You can print almost nine and a half Costco prints (paper
cost) to 1 Canon print. So if you ever wondered "Where's the Beef" you
will find there is not.
Closing:
The Photos printed with vivid effects on were more pleasing in some
respects and less in others. The skin tones may have been too deep but
without it some would say that it looks too pale. Personally, I would
like to print in the middle.
For those of you that are not near a Costco, you can purchase it for the
same price at www.costco.com.
Also, as I said before the results were obtained using Canon OEM ink.
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