Picking the right photo paper for your printer can be a difficult task. Do you go with a matte finish or not? Do you want heavier paper or lighter paper? Can your printer even handle it? When standing in an office store–Staples, Office Depot, take your pick–looking at all the different photo paper, how do you know which to pick? There are a lot of things to consider before picking the right paper. Here are some of those things.

Paper Size

What size paper do you want? Do you want a 4×6, 5×7, 8.5×11 or perhaps the 13×19? Knowing the right size–measured in inches–is important when picking paper. Some photo paper only comes in certain sizes and therefore, you have to compare the size to everything else. If you absolutely want a 4"x6" photo, but the brightness isn't as great, which do you sacrifice? Therefore, before looking at anything else, first determine the size you want.

Paper Opacity

Consider how see-through the paper is. The lower the opacity, the more likely things are going to bleed through. Therefore, when shopping for photo paper, look for a high opacity. For example, most Inkjet photo papers have an opacity from 94 to 97. Going lower will risk bleeding. The higher opacity also allows for double sided printing which, for the economical printer, is a good thing. Therefore, the higher the opacity, the better.Photo Paper

Paper Brightness

It's easy to say that white is white, but when discussing photo paper, you want the paper to be as bright as possible. The scale of brightness goes from 1 to 100. The closer to 100, the brighter the paper. Most photo paper rests in the 90s, but deciding which is the brightest can sometimes be tricky when the company doesn't label. To determine which is better, compare a brightness that you know to one you don't. If the unknown is brighter than the known, you have a better piece of paper. Choose that one.

Paper Weight

Most photo paper runs in the 24-71 pounds range in regard to weight. When printing, you want to use a heavier paper, especially if showing something in regard to business. Heavier paper means that it is more durable and therefore, won't fall apart when passing it around. Paper weight can be measured in pounds or grams per meter squared (g/m2). But, as mentioned above, make sure your printer can handle the weight of paper you've opted for.

Paper Caliper

This is the thickness of the paper. It differs from weight, but also is similar. You want a thicker paper the same as you want a heavier paper. Because you are using photo paper, you want it to be thicker. A lot more ink is going to be coming down on the paper and therefore, if it's too thin, it'll bleed a lot. Most photo paper ranges from a thin 4.3 millimeters to a thick 10.1 millimeters. Thicker is better, but more expensive.

Paper Finish

There are two types of paper finish. The first is a gloss finish and the second is a matte finish. Each have their perks and in the end, it's up to the buyer about what they prefer when it comes to paper finishes.

Gloss Finish

This coating is similar to the one you'd find with professional photographs. When dealing with gloss, what you're looking at is how "shiny" the pictures are. You can opt for a high gloss or a low gloss or anything in between. The downside to gloss finishes is that they take a long time to dry because there is a protective layer that prevents the ink from being absorbed by the paper too quickly.

Matte Finish

Any image that is printed on a matte finish appear soft and non-reflective or shiny. This is the exact opposite of a gloss finish. This type of paper tends to be thicker and, because of that, can often times be printed double sided. When putting together a large portfolio, matte finish can be the ideal choice.