It doesn't matter how expensive your printer is-you won't get high-quality prints without choosing the right printer paper. Choosing paper involves more than just buying the most expensive (or inexpensive) paper available. You have to take into consideration your printer's performance with specific paper types, what you're trying to achieve with your printing and your budget.
Check Your Printer's Paper Preferences
Some printers don't do well with glossy stock, while others have trouble printing on card stock or special paper sizes. Check your printer's documentation to see if your manufacturer has recommended specific paper types or warned against certain kinds of paper. Most generic 20 lb. paper stock works with both inkjet and laser printers, but if you're looking to use glossy paper, photo paper or card stock, you should use paper designed for your type of printer. Inkjet and laser printers use different printing processes that may adhere better to one type of paper over another, and using the wrong paper results in poor-quality prints or printing that smudges and falls off the page.
Think About Your Final Product
If you're printing a report for school, regular 20 lb. white paper works just fine. If you're printing a resume for a potential job, you might want to use a resume stock or other high-quality paper. Knowing what you want to do with your final product makes a big difference in choosing the right printer paper.
Printer paper is measured by weight. Traditional plain white paper stock is 20 lb. stock. Resume stock or fine-paper stock typically ranges from 24 to 32 lbs. Card stock is a slightly thicker, less-flexible paper, sometimes used for covers or handouts, that ranges anywhere from 60 to 110 lbs. Thick paper may require a separate bypass tray, as it may not travel properly through your printer's print path. Top-loading printers typically fare better with heavier stock than printers that feed paper from a bottom tray.
Photo Printing Paper
Photo printing paper may be the most difficult printer paper to select. Photo paper comes in a huge array of sizes, thickness and finishes. The first decision when choosing photo paper is to determine whether you want glossy or matte paper. Not all printers can handle glossy paper, and some printers handle only certain types of glossy paper, so consult your printer's documentation for guidelines on photo paper.
Once you've chosen a finish, decide what size paper you want. Again, not all printers can handle all sizes, so consult your printer's manual for acceptable paper sizes. If your printer doesn't accept small photo sizes, you can always print photos on standard-sized paper and cut them out later. Once you've narrowed down a specific photo printing paper, check out reviews. Some paper displays colors better or works better with specific printers, so see what other users have had to say about different types of photo paper.
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