The issue with the inkjet paper isn’t the shortage of choice. Where a lot of people feel absolutely puzzled is with wide range of these papers available in the market these days. The choices out there are mind boggling. Heavy plain paper, Plain paper, matte, glossy, t-shirt transfer, super glossy, bright white, recycled, and so many more.
Which inkjet paper should you use? If you inquire from a salesman, they will show you the fanciest and most expensive one. More importantly, you should ask yourself "Why do I need an inkjet paper?" Your needs and your wants are two different things. We usually wish to get the more costly item when actually we only are in need of a plain model.
The very first consideration you make should be the paper weight. All papers for printers including inkjet, is measured in grams or GSM per sq. meter. A 60 GSM inkjet paper is a very lightweight paper for your printer. When you visit any store and purchase a ream containing 500 sheets of inkjet paper, you will see that the stock being displayed is 80 GSM. These are general weight papers that are appropriate for photocopiers, laser and inkjet printers.
What if you actually need a thicker weight paper? It should not cause an issue in a well-stocked computer store or office supply. Inkjet paper is also available in 90 GSM, 100 GSM and even in higher grades. Heavier papers provide you with less ink bleed and crisper text also. Do remember that inkjet printers have a maximum thickness they can handle. If you are getting papers in 110 GSM – 125 GSM weights, consult printer documentation prior to feeding it with very heavy paper. Otherwise, you may just be putting your printer on a serious risk.
Besides the weights, you have a wide range of styles too. Your inkjet printer paper can also be bought in the bright white variations. These are particularly made for single sided printing of presentation pages or important documents. This paper is more costly but if your objective is to make an impression then it is money nicely spent as these offer results truly impressive.
Finally, there is in inkjet photo paper that comes with high resolution. When you need to print a photograph, scanned or digital, photo paper is the best choice you can make.
Matte photo paper comes with a smooth finish. An image printed on a matte paper shows great colors along with an overall softness in the quality, but it will not look like a photograph processed in lab. An image that is printed on matte paper will dry very quickly.
Another photo paper available is the Glossy photo paper. If you are after the best results in terms of clarity and color richness, glossy photo paper is what you need. This paper has many layers inside each sheet. Due to the manufacturing complexity this paper comes, it has a higher price. But the quality of printing you get on this paper is certainly the best of all.
