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| You love taking digital photos and sharing them with family and
friends. And you’d like to print these pictures at home so they
look like they came straight from the photo lab.
Follow our five simple tips for choosing the right supplies, and
you’ll create crisp, vibrant, long-lasting digital prints every
time with your home photo printer.
1. Choose paper that’s made for photos
One
of the biggest myths about digital prints is that they don’t
last as long as traditional prints. It’s simply not true—so
long as you use the right paper. Plain copier paper might be readily
available, but it doesn’t work well for photographs because
it results in prints that look fuzzy or faded.
HP photo paper is specifically designed to produce high-quality,
true-to-life color images that are hard to distinguish from traditional
lab-developed photographs.
2. Choose photo paper to suit your needs
You’re
ready to get your hands on some photo paper. But which photo
paper? HP offers a wide variety, ranging in thickness and finish.
There’s something for every type of print or project.
Take a look at what’s available:
|
| Paper type |
Description |
Sizes
available |
Usage ideas |
HP Premium
Plus photo paper |
HP’s best paper
Because of its special coating, this paper resists fading and produces vibrant, professional-quality photos that last
for generations* |
4" x 6"
5" x 7"
4" x 12"
8.5" x 11"
11" x 17"
13" x 19" |
Photos you'll frame
Photo album pages
Scrapbooks
Photo gifts |
HP Premium
photo paper |
Designed to look and feel like a traditional photograph |
4" x 6"
8.5" x 11" |
Photo greeting cards
Photo album pages
Calendars |
HP Advanced
photo paper |
Heavier photo paper
Dries instantly and resists smudging
Great for printing in humid environments |
4" x 6"
8.5" x 11"
13" x 19"
|
Signs
Photos for party guests |
| HP Photo paper |
Quick drying for easy handling
Great quality at an economical price
Feels like professional photo paper |
4" x 6"
8.5" x 11" |
Business photos
Reprints
Portfolios |
HP Everday
photo paper |
Affordable alternative to plain paper
Thicker than plain paper so colors don’t show through to the
opposite side |
4" x 6"
8.5" x 11" |
Displaying pictures on the refrigerator
School projects
Holiday letters
Newsletters |
|
 |
| *Based on light fade testing under glass using HP
Vivera Inks on HP Premium Plus photo paper and HP Premium photo
paper, according to Wilhelm
Imaging Research, Inc. |
|
| » See
HP’s entire selection of photo papers |
|
3. Choose the right paper size
Most of HP's photo papers come in a variety of sizes. To
achieve photo-lab quality, choose from convenient 4" x 6" paper,
with or without borders—this size print fits perfectly into
most photo albums.
Print spectacular panoramic photos, such as a tropical sunset, using
4" x 12" paper. When you’re making studio-quality
enlargements of family or pets, 13" x 19" is ideal. And
try 11" x 17" paper for calendars and posters.
With HP Photosmart Essential software, you can print everything from
wallet-sized photos to large prints. You can even choose from a variety
of the pre-sized photo templates. Just drag and drop your photos into
the layout. (It’s a great way to use every inch of your photo
paper.)
If you don’t have HP Image Zone pre-loaded on your HP PC, you can download a free copy of HP Photosmart Essential.
You can use it to print your pictures with a variety of options including a wide range of sizes, contact sheets, and custom outputs. Plus you can crop or shrink your pictures to fit just right.
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|
4. Choose the right finish
There’s a variety of photo paper finishes available, ranging
from extremely glossy to matte. Glossy produces deep, vibrant colors while
matte offers rich textures and resists fingerprints. Each finish has its
recommended uses: |
|
| Type of finish |
Available in these HP photo papers |
Usage ideas* |
| High gloss |
HP Premium Plus photo paper
HP Premium photo paper |
Family albums
Scrapbooks
Framed photos
Photo greeting cards |
| Soft gloss |
HP Premium Plus photo paper
HP Premium photo paper |
| Satin gloss |
HP Premium Plus photo paper |
| Glossy |
HP Premium photo paper
HP Advanced photo paper
HP Photo paper |
| Semi-gloss |
HP Everyday photo paper |
Printing photos from e-mail or the Internet |
| Matte |
HP Photo paper
HP Everyday photo paper |
Black-and-white prints
Reprinting vintage photos |
|
|
| Try an HP paper sample pack with various weights and finishes.
That way, you can see for yourself what kind of results you get. |
|
5. Choose photo paper that’s made for
your printer—and your ink
Paper designed specifically for your printer looks better
every time. There’s a good reason for this: HP creates and
tests its inks and papers to ensure that they work together. All
our inks are designed for the absorption properties of HP photo
paper. Third-party inks (including refills) can flow too fast
or slow, causing ink puddles, fuzzy images, and other flaws. Find
the ink that’s formulated for your HP
printer at hpshopping.ca.
Find out more about the science behind ink
and paper.
* Based on light fade testing under glass using
HP Vivera inks on HP Premium Plus photo paper and HP Premium photo
paper, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc.
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