Photo Paper Basics
In a world where digital pictures are everywhere, it's important to know how to make your own good quality pictures. While it used to be simple choosing the type of photo paper we wanted while getting our prints developed, now, we have a enormous selection of photo papers to choose from that can quickly become overwhelming.
However don't worry because here you'll discover some tips to choosing the right photo paper so you'll always know what type of paper is best for you.
Paper Basics
The first thing to consider in buying photo paper is, naturally, how you want the photos to look. Each manufacturer makes photo paper for different types of printers and they vary widely in quality, price and material. No matter what brand the paper, there are a few things you can look at that will give you an idea of how your images will turn out.
The first thing you want to look at is the thickness of the photo paper. Thick paper will show less bleed-through and will generally lend itself to longer lasting and better looking prints. Additionally, the thickness of a piece of photo paper is directly related to its caliper, which measures its ability to absorb ink. Because photos require lots of ink, a higher caliper will be necessary to ensure the image is completely absorbed.
Another important note that the "quick dry" papers that are highly porous are more convenient to use however, the composition of the paper will cause your pictures to fade faster over time. Try to use non-porous photo paper whenever possible if you want your photographs to last years into the future.
And lastly, you'll need to decide on the level of brightness of your photo paper. The brightness of a paper refers to how close a paper comes to "true white" and is measured on a scale from 1-100. The larger the brightness number, the more "true white" the paper is. Of course, the best way to compare the brightness of photo papers is to look at a few of them on a table together.
The Type of Photo Paper Finish
Photo paper comes in to finishes, glossy and matte. Although both glossy and matte have their pros and cons, it really comes down to personal choice.
Glossy paper will look more like the photos you are used to getting from your local photo shop. This paper will be highly reflective and shiny and may take longer to dry than matte prints due to its glossy coating. Normally glossy paper has one printable side and one side without a finish coating. Often times, glossy paper is what you normally see framed in 4x6 picture frames or even hanging on the wall in collage picture frames.
Matte paper will make photographs look smooth and doesn’t reflect light. Matte paper is usually thicker than glossy paper and dries more quickly, however some photographers feel that it shows lower contrast values. This paper will also frequently feature dual-sided printing capabilities.
The best way to choose between glossy and matte paper is to pick up a couple of 25 sheet packs from your local photo supply store and try printing on both. Since there is no real technical superiority that would put using one over the other, use whatever works best for you.
Choosing a photo paper can be quite an ordeal. Deciding between the different finishes, qualities and manufacturers can seem hard to do with so many choices. Don’t be afraid to buy a few small packs of different kinds of paper to experiment; at the end of the day there is no “best” paper, only the one that you like the most.