Papers come a long way in the last decade. Just about every mainstream printing device today utilizes plain, cut-sheet paper (bond paper) in easy-loading paper trays. Of course "plain paper" is a bit misleading, because there is nothing plain about the variety of papers currently available for businesses today.
Inkjet vs. laser paper
It's easy not to think about paper -- just borrow what's in the copier machine, right? But if you've seen the difference that a quality paper makes -- especially one designed specifically for your inkjet or laser printer -- you also know it's hard to go back to plain paper for anything but the most ordinary of documents. The bottom line: paper designed for your printer just plain looks and performs better.
Using paper designed for your printer will not only give you better results, but it is also cost effective: you'll have fewer paper jams and output that looks great the first time you print. You can save money on printing costs, too, by using the new specialty papers to print all sorts of things that you used to have to go to a professional printer for.
How to select paper
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Weight: Paper weight ranges from lightweight newsprint to very heavy cardboard. Most quality business papers range between 20 and 24-lbs bond, with greeting card papers at the heavier end of the scale, usually in the range of 60-65-lb cardstocks. Metric equivalents are expressed in grams per square meter, abbreviated as g/m2.
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Thickness: The thickness of a paper affects its handling characteristics and is most applicable to photo papers. Generally, thicker media will be stiffer and resist creases and tears. Thickness is most often expressed in a unit of measure described as "mils."
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Brightness: A higher brightness value means that more light is reflected from the surface of the paper, providing crisper text with better contrast and a brighter background for color and images. HP's brightest papers include Bright White for inkjet printing and Premium Choice for laser printing.
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Opacity: Opacity describes how well the paper blocks the passage of light through it. Highly opaque media prevents printing showing through from one side to the other and is often described as suitable for two-sided printing or printing on both sides. Opacity is important when selecting paper for brochures, newsletters, calendars and other applications where you want to print on both sides of the paper.
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Finish: Finishes for laser and inkjet papers are becoming increasing sophisticated, with numerous choices appropriate for a variety of applications. Finishes range from matte to glossy, with less degrees of glossiness sometimes described as semi-gloss, soft-gloss or satin-gloss. Many people prefer the mirror-like finish of high-gloss media for color photographs, and smooth matte finishes for black & white photographs and business documents.
Specialty papers
A wide range of specialty papers are available to suit the needs of computer users. Before you print, be sure to check your printer's manual and the paper's specifications for any compatibility issues. At Hewlett-Packard, our paper engineers work closely with the hardware design teams, so you can rest assured that when you use HP papers in your HP printer, you will always get the best results.
photo paper: Akin to paper used by film developers, photo paper is specifically designed to produce high-quality, color-rich images that are hard to distinguish from traditionally developed photographs. Most of HP's photo papers come in a choice of matte or glossy finishes and in a variety of print sizes, including convenient 4x6-inch for affordable, everyday prints, to large portrait-sized papers suitable for studio-quality enlargements.
glossy paper: These papers have shiny, coated surface on one or both sides, and are ideal when you need a polished printout. For brochures, flyers, report covers and special presentations, glossy papers produce colorful images and crisp text equal to professional printing. HP's line of brochure and flyer paper comes in a range of sizes to meet your printing needs.
transparencies: These clear sheets of plastic are used with overhead projectors for presentations.
stickers and labels: Use your word processor to print out peel-and-stick labels for mail, folders, diskettes, CDs and more: you can even use fonts, images and colors to customize the appearance.
specialty media: If you like to get creative with your computer, specialty papers offer a wide range of possibilities to the small business. HP's iron-on transfers make it easy to make your own t-shirts, promotional items, and more. Get your message out loud and clear with HP's banner paper. Also available are specialty media specially formatted for printers such as vellum and parchment, printable sheets of fabric like felt and canvas, printable mylar, shrink plastic, and window clings. Just remember, before you use any non-HP media in your printer, check to make sure you won't have any compatibility issues.
Printable version
