I was recently introduced to the Galerie range of photo papers for inkjet printers made by Ilford.
Prior to seeing the Galerie range, I was unfamiliar with Ilford. After doing a little research, I learnt that Ilford has been involved in the photographic industry for over a century. They boast a strong reputation in the development and manufacture of both black and white and colour photographic materials. Ilford are also involved in the photo paper market for inkjet printers.
The Galerie range consists of eight different photo papers for use with inkjet printers. The papers are described as being compatible with many of the major printer brands including Epson, Hewlett Packard, Canon and Lexmark. Ilford include an information sheet with each of their papers giving advice on suggest uses, printer compatibility and even which printer settings to use.
Generally speaking, I have a preference for matte prints. Nevertheless, I did give the glossy papers a go. As Ilford instructs, I used the "Premium Glossy Photo Paper" media setting and also the highest quality setting on my Epson photo printer. My test prints proved to be of a high quality although a slight bronzing effect was evident in some areas (see left). As is true with digital prints in general, the colours in test prints were brighter and more vivid than you would expect to find in a traditional film print. This effect might also be accentuated by the very shiny, high gloss finish. The ink on the prints was quite tacky immediately after printing, so you need to take care when handling them initially. I set mine aside for a minute or so to let them dry properly. Overall the test prints produced with my Epson photo printer on the Classic Gloss paper were equivalent in appearance and quality to those that I have produced previously with Epson's own Premium Glossy Paper. Galerie Classic Gloss is therefore a very viable alternative.
This is the matte counterpart of the Classic Gloss paper described above. Whilst the matte finish is certainly more pleasing for me, similar colour results and bronzing effects were evident in my test prints on the Class Pearl paper.
This paper was by far my favourite of the four the Galerie photo papers that I tested. It is of a slightly heavier weight than either of the Classic papers (280gsm compared with 240gsm & 250gsm). This gave the paper a better overall feel and it gave me the impression of higher quality. The colours in my test prints were pleasingly true to life and no bronzing effects were evident (see right). Another thing I liked was the fact that the ink was instantly dry after printing which made handling these prints much easier. The Smooth Pearl paper features a superb matte finish, making it superior to its glossy counterpart in my opinion. My test prints strongly resembled traditional film prints. Most casual observers (including myself) might actually be hard-pressed to pick the difference.
Despite my affinity for matte finishes, I have to say that the Smooth Gloss paper still impressed me. As with the Smooth Pearl paper, the colours were again true to life and there were no bronzing effects. The gloss finish is more subdued than the very shiny Classic Gloss, so if you do happen to prefer a gloss finish this may well be the paper to choose.
I recommend the Galerie Smooth Pearl photo paper, followed closely by the Smooth Gloss, for use in an Epson photo printer. All of the Galerie photo papers that I tested achieved an equivalent, if not better, print quality with my Epson photo printer using Epson inks than Epson's own brand of photo papers. The Galerie range is well worth testing out on your own inkjet photo printer, even if it is not an Epson.
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