Recycled paper

[Qurlyjoe]

I came across a company that sells recycled papers, and they have a line of products for inkjet printers. I bought a sample pack of greeting card stock to see how it looked with my Epson 2200, and I have to say the first impressions are good.

They claim their papers are good for all the major printer brands, naming Epson, HP, Canon and Lexmark specifically.

They have a couple different sample packs, and prices seem reasonable.

I can't speak to issues like fade-resistance, because I only just printed on it day before yesterday, but the white matte stock I got is really white and looks very nice, at both 1440 and 720 dpi. Haven't tried anything at 2880 (I don't generally print my cards that way anyway) but I'd expect it to look pretty good.

They're Red River Paper, (http://www.redrivercatalog.com/) located in Dallas, TX.

I'll probably go back and order more after the holidays.

(Disclosure: I have no connection or financial interest in this company.)

[Scottes]

The additives used in most recycled papers have a strong tendency to inhibit ink absorbtion. If they're made for inkjets, though, they must be getting around that a bit. I'd be curious about a drying test (smudge it after printing - immediately, a minute later, 5 minutes later, etc), as well as a direct comparison against non-recycled.

The stuff's probably fine for generic printing, but I don't know if I'd print a photo on recycled paper.

Granted though, my brother the printer beat this paranoia into me, and I learned my lesson in my users of managing laser printers & ink jets. I know stick to using the printer's inks on the printer's papers, with exceptions made for Ilford and other very-well-known companies in the business.

[Qurlyjoe]

I'd be curious about a drying test (smudge it after printing - immediately, a minute later, 5 minutes later, etc), as well as a direct comparison against non-recycled.

The stuff's probably fine for generic printing, but I don't know if I'd print a photo on recycled paper.



Smudge test passed with no smudging (with light touch) immediately after printing. Feels pretty much like the Epson Premium Enhanced Matte paper. Better immediate results than with Epson's glossy and semi-glossy and the luster papers.

The card stock I got is a nice, bright white, but it's one-sided only. The reverse side, while white, doesn't print well. It's ok for printing greeting cards and the like, which is what I was looking at it for. They've got other papers they claim will work for photos, i.e., glossy and semi-gloss, but I agree, Scottes, I wouldn't use them for anything I was selling. Or keeping for myself to frame for that matter.

I'll leave a page or two on a window sill for a couple weeks, to see how it does. That's not something I'd do with any paper if I was intending to give it to anyone else. But it'll be interesting to see how the colors hold up just the same.

[Scottes]

Well the smudge test is cool. That's a good thing. I'm curious about the light test - you might want to block a small section to compare the covered to uncovered sections.


Another thing I'm always worried about is paper residue getting stuck in the printer. I used to run 40+ HP4 printers doing 5-10K pages/month each. To save money we started using refilled toner and recycled paper. Within 6 months the repair bills were higher than the paper & toner savings - and that doesn't count personnel down-time.

Between things like the above experience and my brother being in the printing trade I've gotten pretty paranoid over the years. So I go with the same company for printer, paper, and ink - though now I do trust top 3rd party companies like Ilford and such.

[Qurlyjoe]

... you might want to block a small section to compare the covered to uncovered sections.


Another thing I'm always worried about is paper residue getting stuck in the printer. I used to run 40+ HP4 printers doing 5-10K pages/month each.
...

Between things like the above experience and my brother being in the printing trade I've gotten pretty paranoid over the years. So I go with the same company for printer, paper, and ink - though now I do trust top 3rd party companies like Ilford and such.

Good idea on the light test.

If Epson made scored card stock, I'd buy it from them, but as far as I can tell they don't. And I'm not planning on printing that many pages, either. For one thing, I couldn't afford the ink bill. :lol:

[Scottes]

Sounds like you've got a need for this stuff then. And a lot of fears go out the window with the statement "And I'm not planning on printing that many pages, either."