Originally published July 18 2005
Picking the right photo paper
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Getting great results with your inkjet printer usually comes down to picking the right paper. Unfortunately, if you're looking for quality, you'll end up paying for it. The best-quality option for most printers are high-quality paper manufactured by the printer company. Usually this paper is specifically designs to work well with the ink.
You'd take a roll of pictures to the corner drug store, and you'd have your prints a few days later.
There were disadvantages, of course: You had no control over the color, cropping, or exposure, and the quality of the prints was totally out of your control.
These days, printing your digital photos is a very different experience: You have tons of control.
We've all seen gorgeous prints on display at the computer store--samples of what you could accomplish with the newest photo-quality inkjet printers.
It's no secret that the big names in printers--companies like Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard--offer their own complete lines of inks and papers.
Each manufacturer claims that you'll get the best results when you use their products with their printers, and they warn you to steer clear of paper sold by other companies.
Using Brand X paper with your particular inkjet printer, for instance, may cause the ink to spread too far into the paper before drying, which causes inaccurate colors, lower print resolution, and a dull finish.
The paper section at your local camera, computer, or office supply store can be fraught with many seemingly similar choices.
The company offers a broad selection of papers with names like DuraBrite, Premium Glossy, Photo Quality Glossy, and ColorLife.
Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper is the right choice for most Epson printers, but if your printer uses DuraBrite ink, then use DuraBrite Ink Glossy Photo Paper instead.
For less formal photo printing--and where print quality and longevity are not the prime factors--you can use Epson's less-expensive All Purpose Glossy Paper.
The cheapest papers you can buy are usually sold for everyday printing and called "inkjet paper" or just "photo paper."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml