The variety of photo quality inkjet papers can seem overwhelming. However, there are really only five main differences in all these papers, with four of these playing a critical role: weight, brightness, caliper, and finish. You need to know how to select the right kind of inkjet paper for the job, and how these different types of paper compare to each other.

Brightness ? You may only see white on your paper, but how white is white? There are different levels of brightness for each type of paper. The brightness of a piece of paper is typically expressed on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the brightest. The high-quality photo papers usually range in the 90s. However, not all papers are labeled with their brightness rating, so the best way to determine brightness is simply to compare two or more papers side-by-side. Individually white paper appears quite white. But placed side-by-side, white papers show a range of colors, from very bright cool white to a softer, warmer pale ivory white.

Opacity ? When you judge opacity, you try to check how see-through the paper is. If the opacity is high, that means printed text and images are less likely to bleed through. This is important to know, especially if you do double-sided printing a lot. Photo papers used for inkjet printers usually have high opacity levels (around 94 to 97), as compared to ordinary laser of inkjet paper, so bleed-through is less of a problem with these papers.

Weight ? The weight of paper may either be measured in terms of pounds (lbs.) or as grams per square meter (g/m2). Bond papers, which include most inkjet papers, are found in the 24 to 71 lb. (90 to 270 g/m2) range. Paper weight and thickness may have little or no noticeable effect on printed image quality. The importance of paper weights lies in the impression that heavier paper creates a feeling of seriousness and importance not found in flimsier paper.

Caliper ? Typical multi-purpose papers are usually lighter and thinner than photo papers. The thickness of paper, known as caliper, is necessary to accommodate the greater ink coverage typically found in photos. The caliper of common inkjet paper can range from a thin 4.3 to a thick 10.4 mil. Photo papers are usually found in 7 to 10 mils.

Gloss Finish ? Photo papers have a particular coating which allows your printed pictures to look and feel like photographic prints. Because the coating keeps the paper from readily absorbing the ink some glossy papers dry slowly. However, quick-dry gloss finishes are common today. The amount of shine on the paper gives it a description of high gloss, soft gloss, or semi-gloss. There is also a shiny coated finish called satin.

Matte Finish ? If you print images on photo matte papers, you will get soft and non-reflective images, not shiny ones. Matte finish papers are not the same as regular inkjet finish papers. These are thicker and are specially formulated for photos. Many matte finish papers are printable on both sides.