Best Photo Paper For Laser Printers

Buying the best photo paper is vital if you’re exhibiting your piece of work or showing it in another style, such as displaying information technology in a portfolio. After spending all that money on a quality photographic camera and lens, non to mention the all-time photo printer, you lot certainly don’t desire to cheapen your image by printing it in a sub-par style.

In this article, nosotros’ve listed the very best photo paper available today. We’ve divided our article into sections representing our iv favourite manufacturers: Catechism, Epson, Hahnemühle and Canason. So whether you’re going for a sleeky or matte look, you’re sure to observe what you’re looking for.

If you’re not sure how to choose between these papers, though, bound to our department on How to choose the best photo paper. Finally, once you’ve bought your photo newspaper, read our guide to the best printer ink to complete the package.

Finally, in that location may be times when you’re just press photos for yourself, and they don’t have to be the highest quality. For that reason, we’ve also included a department on the best budget photo papers at the end.

All-time photo paper for inkjet printers

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Canon photo papers

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For those press with a typical 5-ink PIXMA multi-function document/photo printer, Canon’s Photo Paper Plus Glossy II PP-201 is the most sensible option for performance and value for money. It’s a reasonably weighty 265gsm glossy photo paper with an attractive loftier-gloss finish.

For the best results, still, peculiarly if you’re using a more than exotic printer, Pro Platinum is the better option. It’southward a fair fleck pricier only is superior in quality and weight, at 300gsm. Every bit Catechism’s range-topping glossy newspaper, information technology has excellent brightness, enables sumptuous colour rendition and is very resistant to fading.

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The argue over whether glossy or luster terminate is best has been going on since the days when we used to take our rolls of 35mm film candy on the high street. Luster isn’t equally full-on shiny as glossy paper but it has advantages in reducing glare from strong light sources bouncing off the surface, and is preferable for handling if you’re passing prints around, every bit it’s more than resistant to fingerprints.

Canon’due south Photo Paper Pro Luster is an upmarket newspaper with an attractive wait and feel, that delivers excellent results. Like other Catechism ‘Pro’ papers, it’south priced appropriately and, if y’all’re happy to settle for a piffling less, cheque out Catechism’s Photo Paper Plus Semi-gloss SG-201, which has a pleasant satin stop.

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Available in a wide range of sizes upwardly to A2/17×22-inch, this is Canon’s best matte photo paper. Unlike glossy, semi-gloss and lustre, there’due south no reflection from the surface. Deep colors and rich blacks tin expect really dramatic. Information technology works just fine with Canon’s dye-based printers up to and including the PIXMA PRO-200, and is fifty-fifty better with paint-based printers like the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 and PRO-1000, which feature matte blackness inks.

For use on more mainstream PIXMA multi-office certificate/photo printers, MP-101 Matte Photo Paper works well and is much cheaper to buy. It’due south also lighter in weight, making information technology easier to utilise for creative projects and creating greetings cards. With this in listen, in that location’s also a double-sided MP-101D version.

Epson photograph papers

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Like Canon, Epson offers a wide range of glossy papers to accommodate different needs and budgets. Going up through the cost range, there’s Epson Value Glossy, Epson Photo Newspaper Glossy, Epson Premium Photograph Paper Glossy and Epson Ultra Photo Paper Glossy. For performance and toll, the Premium Sleeky newspaper gives the best mix of standout performance, with Epson’s half dozen-ink dye-based photo inkjet printers, without spending over the odds.

Color rendition is splendid and the high-gloss surface is superb. It’s merely really worth trading upwardly to the range-topping Ultra Glossy paper if you want the heavier 300gsm paper weight, compared with the Premium newspaper’due south 265gsm. Another advantage of the Premium paper is that it’s available in a number of roll options, ideal for apply with Epson’s larger-format printers that have built-in or optional roll feeders.

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Fully glossy newspaper can hang awkwardly on the wall, diminishing the epitome if strong low-cal sources are bouncing back off its surface. Lustre papers are ofttimes preferred but not everyone likes a textured cease.

This semi-gloss premium photo paper strikes a skilful balance with a glare-resistant only ‘cockle-complimentary’ finish that makes it highly suitable for exhibition-grade printing. It enables splendid resolution for retentivity of ultra-fine detail, along with rich colour saturation and deep blacks.

The paper performs equally well with Epson’s dye-based printers and its more pro-course paint-based photo printers similar the SureColor P700 and P900, although slight bronzing tin can exist apparent with pigment inks. A variety of cut-canvass sizes is bachelor, likewise as diverse roll options.

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Epson makes two similar matte photo papers, sold as Archival Matte Newspaper in Europe and Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte in the United states. They both have an splendid matte end that avoids distractions from bright lights bouncing off the surface of the newspaper.

They have excellent whiteness and are groovy for printing both color and black & white photo prints, thanks to their impressive tonal range. I potential trouble with the Archival Matte Newspaper is that information technology’s only available in a relatively limited range of sizes, and there’s no A2/17×22-inch option to arrange printers like the SureColor P900.

Hahnemühle papers

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Hahnemühle has a history of top-quality papermaking that goes back to 1584, based at the aforementioned site in Deutschland throughout, to make use of its top-quality and entirely consistent natural water supply. Photo Rag Baryta is ane of the visitor’s best-selling photograph papers, from its Digital FineArt Sleeky line-up.

At that place’s a truly vast range of Hahnemühle FineArt media to choose from and the Glossy section itself is very extensive, including metal, pearl and satin options. The Photograph Rag Baryta is based purely on cotton fibres and has a lovely natural whiteness. The smoothen, glossy inkjet coating enables very vibrant colour rendition along with superb sharpness and really deep blacks, platonic for really punchy results.

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Hahnemühle’s Digital FineArt media is carve up into various categories that include matte smooth, matte textured, glossy and canvas. High german Etching is a corking all-rounder from the matte textured range. Information technology’s genuine mould-fabricated paper, based on a traditional and at present very rare procedure, giving it a lovely tactile feel, forth with a unique surface texture with a felt structure that generates a truly 3-dimensional effect for photo prints.

Its 310gsm density besides gives it a really substantial, top-quality look and feel. Vivid colour and really deep blacks are bodacious by the premium matte inkjet coating.

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A new addition to Hahnemühle’s Digital FineArt collection is the ‘Natural Line’ of papers. The three options and then far consist of Bamboo, Hemp and Agave. As such, each of these papers is created from plant-based cellulose, chosen for being rapid-growing, requiring relatively little water and no pesticides. The raw material is thus highly sustainable and very eco-friendly.

The Bamboo paper is a prime example, being made from 90% bamboo fibres and 10% cotton fiber. It has a pleasantly warm and natural white that works especially well for printing images with warm hues, besides as for creating blackness & white prints. It’s a matte newspaper with a delightfully subtle, felt textured surface.

Canson papers

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Canson has long been renowned as a maker of top-quality art papers. More recently, it’s gained added prestige with the acquisition of ARCHES, a master papermaker since 1492 and the only paper mill in French republic using a traditional cylinder mould process for all of its papers.

Current choices in the Canson Infinity ARCHES line-up include 88, BFK Rives Pure White, BFK Rives White and Aquarelle Rag. The 88 is made entirely from cotton fibres and has an ultra-smooth matte finish.

Equally with all of the other art papers in our guide, it’s completely free of whatever optical brighteners and has excellent archival qualities. Photo print quality is similarly top-drawer, with natural whites, rich blacks and superb tonal range.

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Many photographers favor matte paper for press and Rag Photographique from the Canson Infinity line-up is one of the all-time. It’s available in two different densities, in both cut sail and roll options, and there’southward also a double-sided ‘Duo’ version.

Information technology’s created from cotton wool fibers just includes additional natural minerals to enable an exceptionally shine white tone. It’south also particularly long-lasting, having been developed to satisfy museum requirements as well as catering to the digital fine art market in general. The paper is wonderfully smoothen to the touch and delivers superb photograph print quality with especially deep blacks.

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The base material for this lustre photo newspaper is fabricated purely from cotton wool fibers, just it likewise has a microporous top layer blanket to give it a lustre finish. As such, it’south based on a paper that was a favourite for many years in the original Platinum/Platine traditional photographic market for conventional darkroom press.

The ‘digital darkroom’ Platine Fibre Rag has the same await and feel as its conventional forebear, the F-Type Baryta Fibre newspaper. Excellent for both color and black and white photo printing, it has a superb tonal range from really deep blacks to vivid whites.

Budget photograph papers

This glossy paper is pretty bones, but offers proficient value for the price. While it’south not the highest quality, at just 160gsm, it’s fine for when you lot’re printing out photos for personal reference, and don’t need to prove them to anyone else. It comes with a smudge-resistant cease, so your inkjet-printed photos can be handled easily and won’t stick to other surfaces during display or storage.

Need a cheap matte paper? While this is not a good selection for last photographic prints, Presentation Paper Matte is consistent, reliable and okay for personal prints for your eyes simply. This single-sided inkjet newspaper has a smooth finish and works with about all inkjet printers. In full, this paper offers fantastic value.

Here’s some other sleeky upkeep paper for when you’re non bothered about quality and just want to save money. This sleeky newspaper prints reliably, dries quickly for easy handling and tin can exist used with pretty much any inkjet printer. Plus it’s easy-to-recycle and FSC-certified.

How to choose the best photo newspaper

Non sure what you’re looking for when it comes to finding the all-time photo newspaper? To give you a better steer, hither are some answers to common questions well-nigh buying the right photo papers and inks for your photography projects.

What is photograph paper?

Photo newspaper is, quite simply, paper that’due south specially designed for printing photos on. If you’ve e’er tried to printing your photographs on normal function paper, you’ll accept seen that the results are quite disappointing. And then whether you’re using a regular role multi-function printer or a dedicated photo printer like the Epson XP-970, you will become much better results from selecting skilful quality photo paper.

Should you impress your own photos or send them to a lab?

In that location’s also a lot to exist said for creating your own prints with a high-quality photograph printer instead of uploading your digital images to a lab. For one thing, you maintain control over the whole procedure and, with a just picayune learning and possibly a chip of trial and error, you should be able to go fabulous results that are exactly as y’all want them.

Professional photographers frequently experience that press their ain images enables them to show their photos in the style they want them to be seen, rather than beingness at the mercy of random and perhaps desperately adjusted monitor screens, tablets and even smartphones, endemic by their clients.

What are the different types of photo paper?

Photograph papers fall into 2 main categories. The first includes
glossy, semi-gloss and lustre papers, which have a protective, shiny height layer. These are virtually platonic for use with photograph printers similar the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 and even general abode printers, which use dye-based inks to generate photo output. The water-based ink is fully absorbed beneath the tiptop layer, enabling first-class uniformity with an entirely smooth cease.

With
matte photo papers, the ink is laid on the top-layer inkjet coating, rather than existence absorbed below it. These are ameliorate suited to printers such as the Catechism imagePROGRAF PRO-300 and Epson SureColor P700 and SureColor P900, which use pigment-based inks.

Unlike dye-based inks, the pigments in these inks is suspended in the liquid rather than being dissolved. The larger molecules of the pigments are more than robust and better suited to matte paper.

They’re also suitable for printing on glossy, semi-gloss and lustre photo papers but less platonic than dye-based inks. That’southward because the pigments generally won’t exist fully absorbed beneath the outer layer, which tin can requite rising to ‘bronzing’, where the print looks blank and lifeless when viewed from sure angles. Gloss differential can likewise be a trouble, where areas of the print with a denser covering of ink look less glossy than areas with a relatively light roofing.

Glossy papers work well with photographs with deep, rich colors, while matte paper is normally more suitable for black and white photos. However, note that sleeky papers attract fingerprints more easily, and suffer more from glare in direct sunlight or bright lighting.

Are big-brand inks and papers the best for printing photos?

Using
own-make inks and photo papers
from the likes of Canon and Epson, y’all can exist assured of photograph prints that should last a lifetime without fading. The chemistry of the inks and papers are naturally formulated to piece of work together.

ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles ensure that the right mix of inks is used to maximize color fidelity for any given ain-brand newspaper with a particular ink set. Information technology’due south an important issue because different papers have varying whiteness and react with ink in unlike ways. Indeed, ultra-white papers sometimes include optical brighteners, similar to those used in laundry detergents, which react with UV calorie-free to requite a super-vivid advent. The downside is that stability is less good over time, so they’re typically not used in archival and ‘fine art’ media.

Because the results are pretty much guaranteed when using own-brand inks and papers, many photographers don’t venture whatsoever further. But that’south missing a trick.

And then-called ‘fine art’ media is available from printer manufacturers like Canon and Epson but also from specialist newspaper makers like Canson and Hahnemühle, who have papermaking to a more elevated level. Whereas standard photo papers tend to have a plasticky feel and can exist somewhat lacking in character,
art papers
are often based on cotton wool ‘rag’ and other premium fibers, and are created to the highest standards with specialist manufacturing processes.

Some Canson and Hahnemühle’s fine art media is fabricated on traditional mould paper machines, which are now very rare, in a process that goes back centuries and has been favored by the greatest painters down the ages. Fine art media is generally heavier than mass-produced photo newspaper and comes in a huge range of smooth or uniquely textured finishes that requite them a much higher-quality await and feel.

As with printer manufacturers’ own-brand papers, Canson and Hahnemühle offer ICC profiles for a huge range of inkjet printers, to ensure the utmost accuracy and allegiance.

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