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Does anyone here have any experience with coating paper for printing using pigment-based inks? I am looking at making handmade paper, and I would like to prepare it for printing photographs on my Epson 3880...

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How to make your own printer paper - now there's an interesting question... \$\endgroup\$
    – James Snell
    Commented Sep 9, 2015 at 10:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ No idea if this is considered on-topic here but you might get a better answer on GD.SE. I know some of the active members were trying to start an SE dedicated to questions about Printing. Perhaps come into our chat and ask. \$\endgroup\$
    – RyanFromGDSE
    Commented Sep 9, 2015 at 11:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ You may also want to post on the Arts & Crafts.SE beta. \$\endgroup\$
    – inkista
    Commented May 21, 2016 at 9:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ FWIW, I think this is very on-topic. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Commented Sep 26, 2016 at 12:53

4 Answers 4

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PIGMENT inks do not suffer from bleeding anywhere near as much as dye inks (as the pigments sit on the surface)

The main problem you may face with handmade paper will be the inconsistency of the surface, which could actually reject the ink as well as being very porous in other areas. You MAY be OK (give it a go!)

If not, what you need is to coat it with an "ink receptive ground" coating, such as: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo_digigrnd

I have personally used this coating on stainless steel, and some other interesting papers on my Epson 3880.

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This might be coming in a little late but what i do is 2 things first i spray paint very thin a matte clear then i take white school glue and add a thin layer of that. Let it dry and press it flat if needed. The spray paint is used to keep the paper from cockling when the glue is added mostly so you can leave that out if needed. Thinning out the glue with a little water can be helpful too.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I did something similar to this with 2 or 3 layers of thinned white pva glue on wallpaper underlay paper for inktober a couple of years ago. Yellowed the paper a little but worked ok with dip pen and brush using non oem inkjet ink. \$\endgroup\$
    – dmkonlinux
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 6:28
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inkAID is specifically made for random types of paper and other materials.

http://www.inkaid1.com/

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No direct experience but I can give you a starting point. Inkjet paper has a few special properties and your paper will need to be a layered construction to be able to support a print.

Obviously you'll have the paper base.

But if you just print onto this you'll get 'wicking' or spreading of the ink so you also need a impermeable layer on top of the base. If memory serves me right, this is either Kaolin or Baryta.

This impermeable layer will need to be waterproof so you will then need something on top of that to hold the ink (and prevent it from spreading.) Gelatine is commonly used.

Then you may require some kind of upper coating depending on what finish you want on your paper (matt, gloss etc.) US Patent 5858514 may offer a good starting point.

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    \$\begingroup\$ The coating doesnt HAVE to be impermeable / waterproof. I dont know of any papers with a later like that - The top layer should absorb all of the ink, if it still bleeds then you are throwing too much ink at the paper (which can be adjusted at driver level) \$\endgroup\$
    – Digital Lightcraft
    Commented Sep 9, 2015 at 12:46

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