Photo Paper

At some time or another we’ve all opened up a photo album, and looked at moments from the past. Most would focus on times gone by, and good memories, however some might notice that the older the picture, the more faded, and less pristine, it gets.

We’ve all seen it at some time or another, where over time a print has been subjected to everything the atmosphere can throw at it – namely light, moisture, and air.

Light is difficult. Without it you can’t see your photos at all, but with too much of it, or being directly under it for too long, your photos can and will start to deteriorate.

The area of light that causes this is the ultraviolet part of the spectrum,  partly because (like other wavelengths) it gets absorbed by the inks, and partly because it’s capable of breaking down the chemical bonds in much the same way as it can give you or me a suntan (but not Matt, as he just burns). Glass can filter out a lot of this, but the best way to prevent it is to simply keep your photos out of direct light, or even in the dark in photo albums.

Very few people are likely to keep their photos submerged in a fishtank, but moisture is still a big deal with photo longevity, as it can alter the hue of the prints, cause marks and lines, and encourage the growth of mould and mildew. No one wants to look back at pictures of their kids only to find that a green and grey blob has grown over poor little Jimmy’s face.

If you’ve tuned in to the news at some point in the past two decades, then you’ve undoubtedly heard of ozone, that thin layer high up above us protecting us from radiation, and the hole forming in it, but what many don’t realise is that it’s in the very air we breathe too (just in lower quantities, which is probably a good thing).

Now, the science! Ozone has a high oxidation potential, so when it comes into contact with carbon-carbon bonds, as found in most polymers but especially alkenes, it will often sever the double bond to form a ‘carbonyl compound.’ With photos, this comes into play with the composition of ink, which is primarily, you guessed it, polymers! This degradation of the ink in prints causes fading.

There are two main sorts of inks, based around how they’re made up.

Pigment inks are made of particles of colours, making then inherently resistant to fading from all sources – it takes longer for light or air to break down a larger particle, in the same way it’d take a man with a hammer longer to break a big rock. The disadvantage of these is that they traditionally cause unevenness on the surface, which can lead to uneven light reflection, and thus poor colour reproduction and reduced gloss. More modern pigmented inks don’t have quite such a problem with this, giving long lasting, sharp colours.

Dye-based inks on the other hand will typically give brighter, more vibrant prints, however they were more liable to smudging, and usually needed more expensive, higher quality photo paper. Like their pigmented counterparts, modern advances have reduced these disadvantages, letting you produce breathtaking photos that will stand the test of time.

So, what have we learned? That the worst possible thing you can do to a photo is to keep it submerged in hot water, with a spotlight pointed at it, high enough up in the atmosphere that ozone can get to it in large quantities!

I am sure that you are aware that the quality of the paper you use for your photo printing will have more of an impact on your results than the printer or inks you use.

A lot of people assume that they need to use the paper from the same company that makes their printer, but while there are certain advantages to sticking with the same brand – normally the printers driver is set up and fine tuned for the manufacturers papers – it is not your only option. There is a world of alternative media types available and I have listed some of the options available to give you great picture output:

Resin Coated (RC)

These are comparable to the glossy and satin-finish papers you get from a photo lab. They have a plastic base, and are bright wihte with either a high gloss coating or a pebbly lustre finish. Colour photos virtually jump off the page, which is why RC papers are so popular.

Matte Finish

This is another popular option especially if your printer uses Pigment inks. Pigment inks tend to to produce the best prints on papers with dull finishes, such as matte, fibre and fine-art papers. They also work well on fabrics and handmade papers. They tend to be cheaper than glossy papers, and so are a good choice for proofs and budget conscious printing.

Fibre Based

These papers have characteristics similar to those of traditional photographic papers. Fibre papers have no plastic backing and us a low gloss coating. They give an output which is rich with deep tones and is brilliant for black and white prints.

Fine Art

Fine-art papers will give absolutely stunning results, but usually take a bit of fiddling to get the output that you want. You can obtain textured and smooth Fine-Art papers designed to work with inkjet printers, although they do tend to be more expensive than gloss and matt papers.

Fabric

I have printed on Fabric and canvas sheets for some really special effects, but these really are a case of trial and error and a lot depends on which ink your printer uses.

The key to using any of these types of paper is understanding what your printer can handle. Newer printers from Canon, Epson and HP have come a long way and can handle heavier paper. However, some paper manufacturers make thin version of their fine art paper to accomodate older printer models.

We receive lots of enquiries from enthusiastic photographers, taking their first steps into photo printing, about which photo paper is best to use.

We're making our answers available online, so the next time you're out and about you can flaunt your knowledge of photo paper and be as awesome as we are :-)

Jump to one Photo Paper Type

• Glossy Photo Paper
• Semi-gloss Photo Paper(Lustre)
• Matte Photo Paper

Please note we will not be going into the more specialist types of paper, so if you're looking for photo-rag information you may be disappointed.

These specialist papers are all intended for niche users, and will be incredibly dependent on individual printer settings, so go do some research on your own model for the best results.

Photo Printing On Glossy Paper

Glossy photo paper is the most common paper for home photo prints.

Offering the highest contrast, colour gamut and brightness, they are perfect for bringing your prints to life.

Whilst Matte Paper will remove some vividity from your prints, essentially "dulling down" the tones, gloss paper provides no such limitation.

Gloss paper also has the highest detail for prints.

Closely examine a glossy print, then a matte print (magnifying glasses are your friend) and you'll be surprised at the difference in the micro-details of the print.

And Glossy Paper lasts!

Many people don't realise just how durable glossy paper can be. Often derided for a susceptibility to finger marks, you can literally wipe the paper clean without any detrimental affect to the quality...

...Though I guess this depends what you are wiping it with.

Glossy paper comes in many different forms, including High-Gloss, Standard Gloss and Semi-Gloss.

Though containing more subtle differences, this is ultimately just referencing how bright, "shiny" and light-reflective your print will be.

So printing onto High-Gloss will give you brighter, more colourful prints that are far more reflective to light (causing issues with placement in a room), whilst printing with Standard Gloss will be slightly less vivid but not as badly affected by glare.

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Photo Printing On Semi-Gloss / Lustre Paper

There is much confusion over what semi-gloss actually is. In the simplest term, it is a less-reflective glossy paper.

It exists purely as a middle-ground between Gloss and Matte paper, where an individual wants to retain the vividity, brightness and durability of their prints without suffering from glare.

You may encounter this paper type referred to as lustre, but it is essentially the same thing.

Advances in semi-gloss coatings have made it our preferred paper-choice for home images. With only a slight knock on the brightness of prints, the reduction in glare in all-but-the-harshest lighting is brilliant. back to top

Photo Printing On Matte Paper

Matte paper is the go-to choice for presentational documents in areas where lighting will cause an issue, with it providing a soft, delicate finish and no shine.

They are commonly seen in open-display images where they will not be in a protective frame or glass cover.

A good example is a gallery, where the viewing angle and lighting can play havoc with the reflective nature of glossy paper, but you still want the accessible, touchable, feel of an image.

Saying this though, you would want to avoid touching Matte prints as the coating is very sensitive to abbrasive marks, even more so than

glossy pictures and finger marks!

Using Matte Paper

Matte prints will generally have duller colours than using other photo paper, with a lower possible colour gamut and contrast.

Viewing the image to the right, the solid surface is the gamut of matte photo paper using the chosen printer, an Epson 2200.

The much larger wireframe is the colour gamut on the same printer for glossy photo paper.

This is why, typically, matte paper is purely for presentational/display purposes, with gloss the go-to paper for photographs.

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It is impressive the amount of guises a question can take about paper. From which kind suits photos best, to what weight you should use, to whether you can write on it after printing. Paper is apparently very questionable!

Firstly a disclaimer to avoid any paper-stuck-to-my-drum or a perpetually-undryable-photo. ALWAYS check on the paper packaging the machines it is recommended for. Inkjet printers require ink to soak into the page. Laser printers fuse toner to the page, requiring heat. The physical requirements of the paper is completely different, so just double check. It takes 10 seconds to find the information on the pack, and rid yourself of the risk a single page could break your machine! Now to the helpful stuff .....

Inkjet Printing Paper

Inkjets are everywhere. With family printers as low as £20 a go, you'd be crazy not to have one. But what paper do you use? Well it depends on what you're printing!

Recommendable paper can go as low as 75gsm. Only use this for general monochrome document printing though, and even then you must check if your printer can take this low weight of paper, as some of their paper feeds may not be able to pick up such light paper (you can easily find it in your printer specifications in the manual).

Why general documents you say? An inkjet printer uses ink. This ink comes in droplets and they are combined to make the colours of the world on your paper. That ink has to soak! (see where I'm going here?). Even a small logo, if colour intensive, can soak through thin paper, leading to smudges/bleeding/streaking/running. I have literally held a fresh print out where ink has made the page sodden and my presentational graph was now a free temporary hand tattoo.If alot of colour is included, just get some slightly heavier paper to ensure it remains a solid after printing. It doesn't need to be fancy paper, just slightly higher quality to make sure the ink can soak without risk.

So general everyday prints, standard paper is okay. Colours need a little more weight?

Yes! For all your non-photo printing needs, standard paper is great. The key is in the weight (and that it's not Laser-only paper), and sticking to them will keep you safe.

Something different!

A nice addition to the paper range are the range of Magic Whiteboards and Paper (you may have seen it on Dragons Den). Using static to stick to surfaces, they are a fantastic way to stick your photos up in places, without leaving marks. When you want it removed, just peel it off!  You should see my kitchen at home after a set of Magic Paper, everywhere I look theres a picture of me waving back, I would definitely recommend you give it a go. The paper that is, not pictures of me everywhere.

The remaining decisions for your inkjet paper is when you go into photographic printing. Which will be shortly uploaded in another post, as my verbosity has dragged this post on much longer than planned!

Laser Printer Paper

Firstly, how inspiring is the picture to the right? Nothing like a ream of paper to encourage someone to read on.....

As mentioned in the handy disclaimer to keep lawyers at bay, laser printers require heat in their printing process. This means you run the risk of paper curling if it is heated beyond its comfort zone, or even fusing to the printer drum itself if it is uses a low-melting-point paper coating.

However manufacturers are taking the unusual step of being helpful. Most new printers actually come with a minimum paper weight figure, so you know if you can go as low as 75gsm without repurcussions. Ensure you check the figure for both monotone and colour printing, as colour prints typically require different temperatures.They'll also tell you maximum width, and different materials, that you can print on. So there isn't much for me to say here, if it isn't listed as compatible, I wouldn't put it in your machine.

We wouldn't advise you push your luck and try to go a few gsm lower than is recommended either. In addition to the heat drawbacks, the paper feed may struggle to pick up lighter paper. So not only is your paper curling, but it's going to jam as well!

Mmm curled jam. I think that's enough paper help for now, leave your comments if you have any further experience or advice, time to go find something to eat....