When it comes to deciding which paper you will print your photographs on, there is no right answer. The choice is yours. It all depends on the vision you have for your printed photograph. Do you imagine it gloss or matte? Black and white or color? High quality or low price? You get to make the call, but you should, first, know a little bit about photo paper, and how your photos may come across to viewers if you make certain choices.

Quality

Not all photo papers are created equal. There are many different kinds of photo paper and they are not simply made of wood pulp. There is a lot of science and technology that goes into creating a photo paper. Therefore, the high quality, more expensive papers are more advanced and produce better images. If you are not serious about photography and you just want to print some snapshots, lower quality paper is okay. It is important to know, though, that there is a discernible difference between high quality photo paper and low quality photo paper.

Finish

When you hear the word “finish” to describe a photo paper, you may hear the words “gloss” or “semi-gloss” following it. The finish of the paper refers to the level of shine the paper has. It is common for someone who is not very experienced in photography to choose a glossy paper because the photos appear to have more vibrant colors. Glossy papers, however, tend to have glares and reflections in the images that end up disturbing a photo.  These papers are nice for snapshots and if you are not interested in printing work on professional quality photo paper. For more serious photographers, lustre finish photo paper has the color quality of a glossy paper with a softer finish and no glare. Do you want your photo paper to make your prints read as snapshots or as works of art?

Matte photo paper is the exact opposite of glossy photo paper; it does not have a finish. This paper is often best used for black and white photos because the blacks are always richer, and more details are often uncovered in the prints. Matte is not used as often as photo paper with a finish because a matte paper gives a photo a certain effect; it often does not read as a photograph. Matte photo paper can also make an image appear older. If this is the effect you want, go for it! Just remember it is best for black and whites!

Whiteness

The level of whiteness in a photograph is important because the color of the paper will be the color of the pure white areas of your photograph. Paper is given a brightness rating between 1 and 100. Photo paper tends to be at a rating of 90 and above. If you are looking for that white in your photo to really pop, you will want a paper in the high 90’s. One thing to be careful of, however, is to not buy paper that uses artificial brighteners. These papers can lose their whiteness over time, ruining your prints.

Opacity

Photo papers always have a high opacity, meaning they are hardly see-through. Lower opacity papers tend to be more translucent. When buying photo paper to make photo prints, you usually do not have to worry about the opacity of the paper. The issue comes into play when you are making a brochure, newsletter, or anything else that would need to be printed on both sides. Often times these things are not printed on photo paper, even though they might include photos. In order for the images and the text to not be seen through the paper, they should either be printed on a photo paper, or just simply on a paper with a higher opacity (above 94).

Caliper

The caliper of the paper refers to the thickness of the paper. The unit of measure for the caliper is a mil. Photo paper tends to be between 7 and 10 mils thick. If you would like a tougher photo paper that will be less likely to tear or crinkle, get a photo paper that is higher in mils. If you would like a more delicate paper, just be careful with it!

There are certainly things you should know before choosing a photo paper. What it all comes down to is what your vision is for your image or images and how much you are willing to spend. If you are still unsure which photo paper is best for you, stop into LB Wheaton’s and we can provide you with our expert advice!