Pick the Best Photo Paper for an Excellent Print Quality
What makes an outstanding photo? Interesting subject, proper lighting, correct exposure, and focus; combine all these and you’ll get an excellent shot. However, these elements are as good as nothing if you’re going to print your shot on a photo paper with poor quality. Using the wrong paper for photo printing may compromise the quality of your photos. But if you print your photos on a high-quality paper, it can make a huge difference in print quality. So make sure that you pick only the best paper for your photo and home publishing.
Choosing the right paper for printing your photos and home publishing needs is simple. You don’t have to be a pro to learn how to do it. Here are some of the features you should look for when selecting the best photo papers.
Photo papers designed just for photo printing
While multi-purpose papers would do for both documents and photos, these papers are not as good as photo papers when it comes to full color prints. Thus, choose papers that are especially designed for photo printing so that you get only crisp, vivid photos.
Paper Thickness
It’s ideal to print your photos on thick papers, especially if you often pass them around. Thick papers are great at withstanding frequent handling and resisting creases and tears. On the other hand, thin photo papers would do if you put most of your photos straight into an album.
Fade Resistance
Unlike memories, photos printed on low-quality papers are prone to fading. Get photo papers that can resist fading. How do you know if a paper is fade resistant? Mount your test photos on a window where the sun shines all day. Do the photos show any sign of fading? If so, choose another paper for photo printing.
High brightness
Choose photos with high brightness ratings, which fall between 90 to 100. This ensures that you get photos with lively colors.
Glossy finish
The look and feel of traditional photos can be achieved with the glossy finish of most photo papers. For better results, get photo papers with quick-dry gloss finishes. For color photos, choose photo papers with high-gloss finishes. For black and white photos, use papers with smooth matte finishes.
All in all, don’t settle for a second-rate photo paper that puts your photography skills to waste. Choose the one that can always give you superior quality prints.