What You Need To Know Before You Buy Inkjet Photo Paper

Posted by Ajax Union Blogging | Posted in , , , , | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010

When it comes time for you to print out your photos using quality inkjet photo paper, there are a few things you need to know. It might seem a little confusing at first considering all the different papers available, but once you understand what each one will be for or what the end result will be, its easier to buy the paper you need. There are four things you need to look at; the finish of the paper, the weight, the caliper and the brightness of the paper. First off, you have to consider the opacity. Is the paper see through?

The higher the papers opacity, the less the ink will bleed through and if you are printing photos, you especially want to make sure it has a high opacity. Second off, the brightness. Photo papers start at 1 and end at 100. The perfect photo quality inkjet paper is going to be at about 90. If possible, try to compare two different papers side by side for a comparison to decide which one to use. White paper is not all the same! Next, the weight of the paper - which will be stated in pounds. Each type of paper is going to have its own weight.

Bond papers will usually have 24 to 71 lbs. Heavier paper is usually the better way to go with something like photos. Next, the caliper, is going to be the thickness of the paper. If you want better ink coverage, look for a thicker paper like 4.3mil to 10.4 mil. Photo paper is going to be at about 7-10mils. Now you move on to the various types of paper. For premium matte photo paper, this paper will have a non-shiny look and appear soft yet non-reflective. Premium matte photo paper is much thicker that regular paper and may be printer on both sides of the paper.

For inkjet glossy photo paper, this is going to be the exact opposite of matte. It will have a shiny finish to it, like that of most photographs when you get them developed at a photo store. This is usually the more common paper used for photography, but the choice is yours! You can also choose from large format paper as well, this is great for those of you with a large format printer if you want to do things like large photos, murals and posters! Lastly, you have adhesive vinyl sheets. These sheets are used for things like banners, posters, and usually come in rolls rather than stacks like the other papers. This type of paper is also better for indoor or outdoor use.

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