Pigment ink only for matte paper?

Now that I've got a brand new Epson R3000 with pigment-based ink, I've read that those inks are best for matte or semi-matte paper, whereas dye-based ink is said to be better for glossy, giving better colors.

I print on glossy mainly, for best color rendition. Is what I read correct? Am I going to miss the brilliant color and detail of using glossy paper with pigment inks?

Also, I've read that pigment based inks can have particles settle to the bottom of the cartridges over time. Does that mean my cartridges have a limited lifespan?

No, to everything you said.

bohdank wrote in post #12224012
No, to everything you said.

Thanks, but that's not what I've read. Maybe you can explain why not.

Actually you should explain why. Not trying to be difficult but you read that you can't. I'd like to know why.

I printed on pigment and almost never on matte. Usually satin or glossy.

Pigment can look "duller" on glossy, at least back when I used an Epson 2200 but, I believe, that is no longer the case.

I have a Canon 9500, which is a pigment printer. It's very obvious in my tests that images on lustre paper looked better than they did on glossy paper in the dark areas. Instead of having better D Max and tonal separation in the darker areas, glossy paper looks muddy in the darker areas. I could hardly believe my eyes.

Right now, my two favorite papers are Ilford Gold Silk Fibre and Museo Silver Rag, which is insanely expensive. They both have great detail and a nice sheen without looking like RC papers. Ilford Gold Silk is quite warm and it really translates to the image.

Dyes have a better color gamut and work well with glossy paper. They can also look very good with matte paper. It's strictly the lack of archival stability that stops people from using dye based printers.

The good news is you don't need to go all the way to a matte paper. Anything under a glossy finish seems just fine in my limited tests

Tedphoto wrote in post #12225107
I have a Canon 9500, which is a pigment printer. It's very obvious in my tests that images on lustre paper looked better than they did on glossy paper in the dark areas. Instead of having better D Max and tonal separation in the darker areas, glossy paper looks muddy in the darker areas. I could hardly believe my eyes.

Right now, my two favorite papers are Ilford Gold Silk Fibre and Museo Silver Rag, which is insanely expensive. They both have great detail and a nice sheen without looking like RC papers. Ilford Gold Silk is quite warm and it really translates to the image.

Dyes have a better color gamut and work well with glossy paper. They can also look very good with matte paper. It's strictly the lack of archival stability that stops people from using dye based printers.

The good news is you don't need to go all the way to a matte paper. Anything under a glossy finish seems just fine in my limited tests

Thanks for those comments. They're in line with my information.

bohdank wrote in post #12224012
No, to everything you said.

I agree. Pigment ink IS "preferred" for heavily textured matte, fine art, and rag type media, but that doesn't mean it won't perform beautifully on smooth and glossy media.

I really think you need to invest in a good book on printing to get both technical tips and an historical perspective. I like this one:

http://www.amazon.com …-Exhibition/dp/19339523​18

Pigment is absolutely fine on Semi Gloss and Gloss papers!! Epson wouldnt have developed a printer that was only only suited for printing to matt papers due to use of pigment inks. It would be committing Product Marketing suicide!!!. I think you will find the transition to pigment inks by Epson was for durability ,long last reasons rather than anything else.

I very rarely use gloss anyway. The happy medium here is Either Epson Semi Gloss or Ilford Smooth Pearl(semi gloss) The colors are absolutely vibrant on the new R3000 using their new vibrant Magenta ink in additon to all the other colors

Rgds

Yes, pigment ink formulations have improved over the last few years.

ChasP505 wrote in post #12227101
I agree. Pigment ink IS "preferred" for heavily textured matte, fine art, and rag type media, but that doesn't mean it won't perform beautifully on smooth and glossy media.

I really think you need to invest in a good book on printing to get both technical tips and an historical perspective. I like this one:

http://www.amazon.com …-Exhibition/dp/19339523​18

Funny you should mention that book. I've had it for a week, and it's where I read all the information in my first post.

I also have this one on the way from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1302886​154&sr=1-4

I should add that some papers are specifically made for pigment inks and look quite bad with dye based inks. I don't remember which paper it was, but back when I was trying an Ilford trial pack with an HP dye based printer one of the papers looked truly bad. Wherever there was a high ink density, it lost all sheen and created a huge gloss differential. That paper was designed strictly for pigment inks.

Papers are not interchangeable between dye and pigment. If you use a dye paper, you might end up with ink all over the place. First time I printed

Tedphoto wrote in post #12228621
I should add that some papers are specifically made for pigment inks and look quite bad with dye based inks. I don't remember which paper it was, but back when I was trying an Ilford trial pack with an HP dye based printer and one of them was truly bad. Wherever there was a high ink density, it lost all sheen and created a huge gloss differential. That paper was designed strictly for pigment inks.

It's sometimes the opposite situation as well--encapsulating papers (generally HP) designed for dyes don't always work well for pigments.

Back in dark old days in the early part of this century, pigments still had a big problem with metamerism, which was exaggerated by glossy paper.