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How to Explain the Difference In Glossy Photo Paper

Printing out photos at home can be convenient but figuring out what type of photo paper to buy can be a challenge. Each type of photo paper comes with a specific weight, size and level of gloss. Determine the type of gloss of the photo paper by looking at it and seeing how much light reflects off the print. This can determine whether the print looks good behind a glass frame, in a scrapbook or in a photo album.

Instructions

- 1
  Talk about brands. If the person is printing the photos at home, for best results, he needs to use photo paper that is the same brand as the printer. If it's an inkjet printer, it needs to be inkjet photo paper and if it's a laser printer, it needs to be laser photo paper.
- 2
  Check the size of the paper. Most photo paper comes in a 4-by-6 inch size and is the standard for normal photos. But photo paper also comes in a 5-by-7 size, 8.5-by-11 and even larger sizes like 13-by-9 and 11-by-17.
- 3
  Look at the different types of finishes of the paper. Matte has no finish to it and does not reflect light. Satin or luster paper will have a slight gloss to it similar to satin ribbon. Semi-gloss or soft gloss paper will be shinier than satin but will not reflect as much light as a higher gloss. Regular gloss photo paper will have a higher gloss and high gloss paper will reflect the most light of all the photo papers. Because different manufacturers will vary slightly with the type of gloss they put on their photo paper, look at samples of each before purchasing.
- 4
  Take a look at the weight and style of the photo paper. The heavier the paper, the longer the paper will hold up with a printed image on it. However, you pay more for heavier photo paper.

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