Photopaper or regular paper

[MrsWagoner]

I'm just getting started with digital scrapbooking and I would like to print out some pages that I've done. It seems like it costs just under $3 to get an 8 x 10 printed at Sam's or Walmart (I have a crappy printer!). I had done a Christmas letter with photos in it and had it printed on paper at a local print shop. Does anyone use just paper or do you all use photo paper? Any input is appreciated!

[sweetmommyc]

Well, my preference is photo paper. It just looks crisper and cleaner. I don't like the dullness of just using regular paper!!! :D

[mommymonster]

i use photopaper. like laura said- it just looks cleaner than plain paper.

[Amanda]

I have mine printed at Kinko's on glossy. It's thinner than photo paper but still has that lustre.

[Lauren]

Well Im no help - I get mine printed professionally at a photo processor on Matte photo paper - I started with glossy but I prefer the finish of the Matte paper now.

[sweetmommyc]

Well Lauren, you just HAD to be different didn't you....rofl

Really, I think the best way, is to print of the different types and see what YOU like.

[Jaylin]

I printed the same layout on both matte and glossy paper, and did a poll around the office. I had four votes for glossy, and seven for matte. I came to the conclusion it's just a matter of personal preference!
(I prefer matte - just looks richer to me!)

So the moral of the story is: try it out for yourself and go with what YOU like best!

[MrsWagoner]

Thanks everyone! I printed some on paper on work (don't tell anyone!) just to see what they would look like and they did look pretty good. (It's so fun to see them in print!) But I think they'll look even better on photo paper. I'll try this weekend and see! Thanks so much for all the responses! I can tell already I'm going to love these boards!

[tandek]

I just started printing my pages, and experimented a bit with photo paper, regular paper, card stock etc. I ended up using HP brite white paper. Once it is in the page protectors I can't see the difference. It's much more cost effective. (I have an HP printer, and I like my photos that I print on photo paper with it) Karen

[Meryl]

I must say I agree with Lauren (is this another foreigner thing Amanda?) - I like matt. I have mine printed at a stationers - no way could my home printer do what his amazing one can! They use a higher quality paper than plain phocopy paper, but matt for me!

[Emma]

Go to an office store and look at all the different kinds of paper available and you'll see that one size never fits all! It's beyond personal preference for matte or glossy, there are textured canvas papers, low-gloss, different brands with slightly different finishes.

Personal preference plays a big part, but so does the desired outcome and style of the layout you're printing. I print my pencil-sketch looking layouts on cardstock or watercolor paper to make them look actually drawn, and textured layouts look good on the canvas cloth paper. Bright, clean layouts look best on glossy, soft and fuzzy look best on matte.

Buy a few packs of different things and start printing a few. I don't often print layouts and hate wasting paper and ink, so just use my best guess judgment. The result is a nice variety of outcomes that suit each individual layout. I have only 3 types of photo paper right now (matte, glossy, canvas cloth), and a few art papers for printing (watercolor, card stock, and sketch).

Once you get the feel for what you need to get what you want, try some online paper suppliers and see just how many more paper types there are! Don't get overwhelmed, just learn one thing at a time and keep your budget under control!

Have fun!

[Amber]

I saw canvas paper this weekend at Fry's Electronics- this was so cool! I cant wait to buy some and use it- it will look like a real canvas painting!

[Jill]

just another thought--a lot of the online suppliers offer "trial Packs" of paper for about 7-10 dollars and you get a pretty good variety of papers to look at and you can test them out to see what looks good...

[mermaid]

For a really special project and if I'm going to frame it, I use a beautiful matte paper by Ilford. But for pages going into an album where they won't be exposed to ultra violet light as much I use HP's everyday photo paper. It's a lot thinner than premium photo paper but the results are fantastic and it is a fraction of the price. (In NZ a 20 pack of premium paper sells for around $25 but the hp everyday is only about $20 for 100 sheets).

Annie :)