What You Should Know About Photo Papers
Photo papers play a great role on high quality photo prints. The many different types of photo papers in the market can most of the times be overwhelming for the consumers. However by choosing a good photo paper, you can print real looking beautiful digital pictures with true-life colors. All these papers out in the market mainly have 5 main differences between them; Opacity, brightness, weight, caliper (thickness) and finish.
Opacity: It defines how see-through the photo paper is. The higher the opacity, the less that printed photos will bleed through to the other side. Inkjet photo papers have a comparatively higher opacity (typically 94-97) compared to plain papers.
Brightness: When photo papers are considered, there are a lot of different levels of whiteness or brightness. Brightness is usually stated as a number from 1 to 100. Photo papers are generally in the high 90s. The brightness of the photo paper may not be mentioned on the packaging, so the best way to find out brightness is basically to put photo papers side by side and compare.
Weight: Paper is stated in pounds or as grams per square meter. Different types of paper have their own weight scale. Most inkjet photo papers are in the 24 to 71 lb. range.
Caliper: Photo papers are heavier and thicker than plain papers. This thickness, known as caliper, is needed to hold the greater ink coverage found in photos. Typical plain inkjet paper will be between 4.3 mil and 10.4 mil. Photo papers are typically 7 to 10 mils.
Glossy Finish: The coating on photo papers provides a look and feel of true photographic prints. The coating keeps the paper from absorbing the ink and this causes some glossy photo papers to dry slowly. Yet, quick-drying glossy photo papers are common today. The finish is generally defined as high gloss, gloss, soft gloss, or semi-gloss according to the amount of shine they have. Satin is a less shiny finish.
Matte Finish: Photos printed on matte photo papers look soft and non-reflective. Not shiny as the glossy ones. Matte finish photo papers are not the equivalent of regular inkjet papers. Matte photo papers are thicker and are specially designed for printing photos.
Other than photo papers, the photo printers in the market today provide the chance to print many different media forms such as postcards, envelopes, brochures, invitations etc.
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