Epson Watercolor Radiant White

I began using Epson Watercolor Radiant White paper when it was first introduced. I find it to be a good paper for getting an idea as to how well a file will print as a very basic exhibition quality print. Since I started using it I have used it as both an exhibition paper and as a teaching paper for college photography students who are learning to make exhibition and portfolio prints. It is not a substitute for high quality exhibition paper.

What I find most interesting about this paper is its ability to produce high quality prints from inexpensive printers. Using a cheap printer and a low quality ink set I assume results in prints where the colors will fade quickly, but the resulting print initially looks as good, and sometimes better than prints from an Epson 3800 or Epson 4880 with the same paper. The pints from inexpensive printers I have seen are prints that have been made by my students over the past 4 years using inkjet printers that came free with the purchase of a new computer. Two of the printers were over 5 years old. I have not and do not plan to experiment in this area, but have concluded that this is an exciting area for people to explore who are new to printing, but are not yet ready to spend $1000 or more for a printer that produces museum quality pigment prints.

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