How to Choose Paper for Your Printer

Check the specifications of the paper you buy to make sure you're getting the most out of your printer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Printer Paper

1. Use scrap paper if you are printing a draft or rough copy of a document.
2. Pick generic 20-lb. paper if the appearance of your printout is unimportant.
3. Choose a 24-lb. to 40-lb. white paper with high ISO brightness if you want better-than-ordinary quality from an ink-jet or laser printer.
4. Select coated paper made for ink-jet printers if you want to approach laser-printer quality, or if you are printing color graphics or pictures that you want to look nice.
5. Use a heavyweight, high-resolution, glossy coated paper with an ink-jet if you are printing a photograph that you want to look like a film print. (You can even buy 4-by-6-inch stock to make the print look more like a "real" photograph.)

Tips & Warnings

• Ink-jet ink soaks into plain paper and spreads. Coated papers prevent that saturation.
• Check your printer manual before using heavy stock. The manufacturer usually suggests a weight limit. Even under the limit, though, stiffer media tends to jam.
• Linens, other textured papers and most recycled papers work poorly in both ink-jets and laser printers.
• Although printer manufacturers would like you to believe that you will get the best results using their brand of papers, this isn't always the case.
• You can buy chemically treated papers for making iron-on transfers to use on T-shirts, but you must use the manufacturer's own papers.

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