Choosing the right paper is critical for your print Job December 21, 2011 08:47 by John Sollars
The paper you put in your printer is crucial for the final output, in fact some people think that the paper you use is as important as the printers ink or toner.
Whatever your print job there is an appropriate paper for it. Whether it is high gloss photographic paper or plain old recycled copier paper, optimised for inkjet or laserjet printing, the choices range from cheap old discount paper right through to luxury sheets that will maintain the print quality for potentially hundreds of years (if stored correctly).
The problem for most users is that the printer paper marketplace is not very transparent and there is a huge variety of quality levels with special and photo paper and even special materials (Canvas etc) that can be used by different printers. So which paper is right for you and your job?.
Printer Types
Basically there are two types of printer in most business’s and households, inkjet or laserjet. And they print in two totally different ways which you need to be aware of so that you are able to make an informed decision as to which paper to use. Inkjet - as it’s name suggests squirts a jet of liquid ink onto paper Laserjet - uses a heating process to ‘fuse’ it’s toner onto the paper
Inkjet Printers
Within the inkjet category there are two different types of ink, which you won’t be surprised to learn suit different types of paper. Dye based ink Pigmented inks
Dye based inks give bright vibrant colours and tend to be used for photographic printing. This sort of ink is absorbed into the paper, indeed if it stayed on the surface then it would lose the glossy look because dried ink tends to appear matted. The problem there is that cheap copier paper is not optimised for this and the output can ‘bleed’ which can make borders and elements like letters appear sloppy.
Pigmented ink is designed to sit on the surface of the paper, and usually gives a touch dry output as the paper moves through the printer. Manufacturers like Canon utilise the best of both types of ink by using both pigmented and dye based inks in one printer, the pigmented black ink is used by the printer for text, giving a sharp laser like output and the dye based inks for images and photographs giving a bright vibrant colour to your pictures.
Laserjet Printers
For laserjet printers, the real problem is that the printer uses a heating process to bond or fuse the toner to the paper, cheap lightweight paper tends to bow as it comes out of the printer and can cause jams because the printers paper feed mechanism finds problems handling this low grade of paper.
Most of the printer manufacturers also offer their own brand of paper, which they claim is properly matched for the ink used by their printers to give the best possible output, indeed manufacturers like Epson and Canon are claiming that their prints will survive for up to 200 years by using their branded paper and ink and then storing the output according to their guidlines
1 Response to “Choosing the right paper is critical for your print Job”
January 23, 2012 15:19
Good Article On Printer