Though landscapes, images of nature, and abstracts looked great on the Hot and Cold Press papers, I had less success with images of people, particularly in tricky lighting and if there was noise in the image. Images I captured in difficult stadium lighting during the Major League Soccer final had an unwanted alien glow and skin tones looked uneven on the papers. On the other hand, color portraits shot in good light looked surprisingly sharp and lifelike.

Despite such inconsistencies, I was very pleased with the results I got from the Hot and Cold Press papers. In fact, my favorite of the four versions was the Cold Press Bright even though that was the one that had the most papers jams in the 3880. Isn't it always that way?

THE BOTTOM LINE

Though Epson's new Hot and Cold Press Art Papers can be temperamental at times—particularly the Cold Press versions—they can help you create some exceptionally beautiful prints. If the results are not always predictable, they are often gorgeous, and that element of chance can be part of the fun. What's not fun is having to rip a piece of expensive art paper out of your expensive inkjet printer after it gets jammed. And while this didn't happen all the time during my testing, it happened enough to raise my blood pressure and scare the cats—not to mention my wife. Despite the glitches, I genuinely enjoyed printing with these specialty papers from Epson. If you're looking to make your next gallery show stand out, this heavyweight media should give your images a boost.

Epson Hot Press and Cold Press Fine-Art Papers

www.epson.com

Pros: Great color gamut and D-MAX; surprisingly smooth tonal transitions; beautiful look and feel to the paper.

Cons: Cold Press paper is prone to jamming; skin tones in mixed lighting look uneven on prints.

Pricing: 13 x19-inch box (25 sheets) - $94