4 Tips For Printing With Matte Paper
Matte paper is becoming the favoured way to print your photos and to share them with others.
While digital photos are nice, there's nothing like holding an actual picture in your hand.
Here are 4 tips to make sure you make the most of printing with matte paper.
1.
Check the Paper Weight When printing with any type of photo paper, it's a good idea to make sure the weight is stiff enough to support the ink of the paper.
You don't want to use inkjet paper or just photo paper, but actual 'matte photo paper' as this will tend to be the thickest.
Try to find a weight of about 170 gsm as this will allow your photos to remain stiff.
This will allow your photos to retain their shape for years to come.
2.
Look for Light Fast Properties Since the ink of the photo is being placed onto the surface of the paper, you need to make sure the photo paper has some sort of 'light fast' or colour fastening quality.
This will ensure the ink is sucked into the paper and that it is going to stay on the paper and not in the photo album or on your fingertips.
You will also want to look for paper that promises to hold onto the ink for at least 10 years.
If your photos aren't going to last in your photo album, what's the point of printing them at all? 3.
Spend Some Money The truth is that when you want to print out your photos, you should be ready to spend some money on the matte paper.
This paper is more challenging to manufacture and it does use more materials than just the paper fibers themselves.
You shouldn't look to cut costs here as cutting costs may result in low quality pictures.
4.
Buy in Bulk To help reduce your initial costs, it's a good idea to buy your paper in bulk, especially if you plan on printing a variety of photos.
Check with art supply stores as well as with shops and dealers.
Often, you can find better prices per sheet when you buy more than a few pages at a time.
Summary When printing photos, matte paper can be a great way to preserve your pictures without overwhelming the images with a glossy sheen.
And though you will want to spend a little money and a bit of time to find the best paper, it will be well worth the investments.
While digital photos are nice, there's nothing like holding an actual picture in your hand.
Here are 4 tips to make sure you make the most of printing with matte paper.
1.
Check the Paper Weight When printing with any type of photo paper, it's a good idea to make sure the weight is stiff enough to support the ink of the paper.
You don't want to use inkjet paper or just photo paper, but actual 'matte photo paper' as this will tend to be the thickest.
Try to find a weight of about 170 gsm as this will allow your photos to remain stiff.
This will allow your photos to retain their shape for years to come.
2.
Look for Light Fast Properties Since the ink of the photo is being placed onto the surface of the paper, you need to make sure the photo paper has some sort of 'light fast' or colour fastening quality.
This will ensure the ink is sucked into the paper and that it is going to stay on the paper and not in the photo album or on your fingertips.
You will also want to look for paper that promises to hold onto the ink for at least 10 years.
If your photos aren't going to last in your photo album, what's the point of printing them at all? 3.
Spend Some Money The truth is that when you want to print out your photos, you should be ready to spend some money on the matte paper.
This paper is more challenging to manufacture and it does use more materials than just the paper fibers themselves.
You shouldn't look to cut costs here as cutting costs may result in low quality pictures.
4.
Buy in Bulk To help reduce your initial costs, it's a good idea to buy your paper in bulk, especially if you plan on printing a variety of photos.
Check with art supply stores as well as with shops and dealers.
Often, you can find better prices per sheet when you buy more than a few pages at a time.
Summary When printing photos, matte paper can be a great way to preserve your pictures without overwhelming the images with a glossy sheen.
And though you will want to spend a little money and a bit of time to find the best paper, it will be well worth the investments.
