Useful guide for buying photo papers

The latest digital cameras and photo printers allow us to print high quality photos on our own for a comparatively low cost. Since photo papers come in a huge variety, it can be difficult for first-time buyers to know which one to buy.

When buying photo paper, the first important thing to consider is its weight.

Whereas normal paper usually weighs about 60 to 100 grams per square metre, photo papers are generally thicker as they have to provide tough structure to protect the photo. Good quality photo papers are usually 150-300 gm/sq metre range.

Next you must look at the type of photo paper. You can choose from Matte photo papers, soft gloss photo papers, high gloss photo paper, and standard gloss paper.

Matte photo papers produce photographs without any shine. Matte paper is resistant to fingerprints, smudging, and glare. Soft gloss photo papers produce very less amount of shine. But these photo papers produce high quality colours and even realistic skin tones.

Standard gloss photo papers produce high quality photos with amazing shine. But if you wish to get the highest quality photos, you must use high gloss photo paper. High gloss paper is generally used for printing photos for public display.

Other things to look out when buying photo papers include their fade resistant quality and their typical drying time. As most of us keep our photo albums for lifetime, it is advisable to look out for photo paper that doesn’t fade out easily. Acid-free photo papers prevent yellowing and fading over time. Then buying a photo paper with quick drying time is really better as it would allow you to print and handle many photos at once.

Buy photo paper with built-in borders to get realistic photos. For best results in printing, also buy cheap ink cartridges and cheap toner cartridges.