Ilford Premium Pearl 8.5 x 11 Inch Photo Paper, 50 Sheets (1146639) Review
Thursday, 15 July 2010
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- Professional Pearl Surface
- Works With All Inkjet Printers
- Instant Dry
- Water & Glare Resistant
- Heavyweight 255 gsm Look and Feel of Traditional Photos
Professional quality , glare resistant, fingerprint resistant, 255 gsm, premium photo paper with a unique pearl surface made by the company preferred by professional photographers worldwide since 1879. An excellent high quality choice for your most cherished memories.
Review by Jason Cox for Ilford Premium Pearl 8.5 x 11 Inch Photo Paper, 50 Sheets (1146639)
Rating: 
First off, I’m reviewing this product based on prints from Epson R800 and Pro 3800 printers, both of which are pigment-ink photo printers. My R800 is nearly 5 years old and has extensive use but still prints super quality pictures and the 3800 is brand new and fabulous.
Since getting the 3800, I’ve been looking for readily available high quality paper for personal printing (photo albums, frames, and to give to family members) that is available in sizes over 8.5″ wide for prints. Based on good reviews on this site and others of the Galerie Smooth Pearl paper, I thought I’d give this stuff a try for an economy paper.
It has really blown me away. The only way this paper is distinguishable from the more expensive Epson Premium Photo Luster paper is the marking on the back (the Ilford is unmarked and the Epson has its typical logo). The weight of the papers is indistinguishable. The print quality is indistinguishable when using the same ICC color profile. The flex of the two papers is indistinguishable. The size of the pearl texture is indistinguishable. You get the point.
**For 30% less, this paper is a complete replacement for the excellent Epson paper product.**
The only thing I would add is that the ICC profile available from Ilford’s website is, in my opinion, closer to true than the Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper profile. It has excellent dark blacks and brighter reds which were spot-on perfect on the test prints I’ve done. Those test prints are family photos with 10 people wearing a full spectrum of clothing colors, which is great for evaluating color output. The Epson profile is a little darker in general and somewhat duller reds. Skin tones are essentially the same as are greens and blues. I’ve not tested B&W on it yet. I may do an addendum to this review for that. Using the Ilford profile with the Epson paper produces the same results as on the Ilford paper.
Also I have some prints from Shutterfly on Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper. I can’t comment on color characteristics of that paper, but the weight is pretty close. I think the Fujicolor Crystal Archive has slightly more pronounced grain texture. It’s going to be subjective as to whether you prefer that over the less pronounced pearling of the Epson and Ilford paper.
I highly recommend this paper. It’s lighter weight than the Galerie Smooth pearl based on specs (I haven’t yet tried the G Sm Pearl), but the weight of the Premium Pearl is excellent. For the cost, I see no advantage to the Epson branded paper
Finally, my paper arrived boxed tightly from Amazon and in good condition. No dinged corners.
Review by Renee L. Theuer for Ilford Premium Pearl 8.5 x 11 Inch Photo Paper, 50 Sheets (1146639)
Rating:
This is an absolutely fabulous paper!!!!!
I cannot recommend it highly enough. Epson Printer Profile is Colorlife (although I hear you can’t get that paper any longer).
However, Amazon sends all of these types of papers loose in the box and they end up with bent corners every time. I am trying to find another supplier that will ship things more carefully–just by packing the paper tighter in the box. I can’t give my customers proofs with bent edges. Even though their price is the best I have found– especially if you are an Amazon Prime customer with free shipping. They did send me a replacement (the same way) and I just gave up. I let them know when I returned the damaged product, but it had no effect. So here you go.
Review by R. Jones for Ilford Premium Pearl 8.5 x 11 Inch Photo Paper, 50 Sheets (1146639)
Rating:
This pearlized and softly textured paper reminds me of the professional Kodak papers of the past. Photos are rich and well saturated with very little glare from the somewhat muted surfaced. Sure beats the old standard glossies. Recommend it to anyone with a good quality inkjet photo printer who wants to make a step change to a more professional look.
Rating: (out of 14 reviews)
List Price: $ 22.99
Our Price: $ 20.69