If you've decided to forego the long lines at your drug store's digital printing kiosk, and have decided to take your printing matters in your own hands, congratulations!
It's truly liberating to have the freedom to print your photos on your schedule, from the comfort of your home or office. But home printing isn't as simple as it should be. If you choose the wrong type of paper, you could end up with less than professional results, and end up back at the dreaded drug store kiosk before you know it.
The type of paper you need for professional results from home is photo quality inkjet paper. But what makes photo inkjet paper quality? There are several identifying characteristics that make inkjet paper ideal for professional photo results. When you're more familiar with the criteria that make a good paper, so good, the once-overwhelming selection process will be a piece of cake.
- Weight.
Paper weight is usually expressed in grams per square meter (g/m2). Different types of paper have different weights to them. Most photo quality inkjet paper is found to be in the 90 to 270 g/m2 range. The term "heavyweight" often found on paper labels doesn't always mean a heavier paper, as you will see if you compare the weight with other similar papers.
- Opacity.
This term refers how see-through the paper is when you hold it up to a light source. The less you're able to see through the paper, the less likely images will bleed to the other side. Photo quality inkjet paper, usually has a high opacity. Just think about the photos you get back from the drug store. You can't see the ink through the back of those, as their usually printed on a glossy thick paper. To replicate these results, inkjet glossy photo paper is your best bet.
- Caliper.
Photo quality inkjet paper is generally thicker than standard printing paper. In the printing world, thickness is known as caliper and is extremely important in obtaining professional results. Typical photo quality inkjet paper caliper may be anywhere from a thin 4.3 mil to 10.4 mil. Good photo paper is usually 7 to 10 mils thick.
- Matte Finish.
Images printed on matte paper appear non-reflective and soft. Matte finish inkjet photo paper is different from regular inkjet paper in that it's thicker so it can handle the heavy ink volume of photos. Some people enjoy using matte finish paper because it's printable on both sides.
- Glossy Finish.
The coating on glossy inkjet paper gives your photos the authentic, professional look that most people printing from home desire. Glossy inkjet paper dries slowly because of the coating not allowing the ink to absorb immediately, so when you're printing with these, patience is a virtue. There are several sub-categories to glossy finish paper including: semi-gloss, high-gloss, gloss and soft gloss, each referring to the amount of shine the paper puts off.
Hopefully, identifying these quality inkjet photo paper characteristics helps you select a good paper that will give you the results you're looking for.
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