How To Choose Photo Printing Paper at Sam’s

You took amazing shots, with the best quality camera you could find. You composed each shot, selected each location carefully, and you tweaked your lighting till you got those perfect shots. Now the time has come to print them, are you going to print them on some cheap low quality paper that cannot render the colors beautifully, or be used to create an effect that will cause the image to transcend the normal? Absolutely not. Let the folks at Sam’s guide you.

What are The Types Of Photo Printing Paper?

When you set out to purchase paper the first thing you should look out for is the finish.

• The Glossy paper

There are two kinds of glossy paper, there is the gloss and the semigloss. These are the papers that most beginners start with. This is because they make colors pop and you get a feel that there is a true rendering of the original. However, due to their sheen, they can cause glare which can obstruct part of the image. Framing them, will cause double glare from both the glass and the gloss.

• Matte

Matte is great as it does not have reflections, plus it gives blacks that are darker which ups the contrast in the image. Matte is also great for detail, thus images which a lot of texture are reproduced well.

• Canvas

Canvas is reminiscent of paintings. It has the qualities of matte paper, where contrast is present and colors truer. With the added fact that you do not place glass over it, even from a distance colors are still stunning. Due to its texture, you will have to position the lights so that its bumps do not show.

• Art Paper

These are excellent for landscapes photographs. The paper gives images a painting-like quality. They have a matte look, and a lot of texture.

How Long Do You Want the Image To Last?

The next quality after finish is how long you want the image to last. Photographs do not work well with light, as time passes by they fade. However, there are printers that can print highly durable photographs. The trick is finding the paper that works well the print mechanism of the printer to bring that out. This is where reading your printer manual comes in, so that you buy the right paper.

How White is the Paper?

Some papers have whitening agents added to them to make them appear much whiter than average paper. However, some of these additives can shift rapidly in color after time. Usually turning yellow. So that after you have printed your photograph, within weeks you notice a change in the color quality of the image.

In general it is advisable to experiment with different paper to find the paper that suits your style. So go and shop around for sample papers. Print photographs and observe what they look like from the get go, and what they look like with time. A great place to find photo printing supplies is Sam’s, they have great quality products at an affordable price.