I cannot stress enough the importance of using the right paper for your printer. Companies spend Big Bucks to test their paper with their printer and their inks.
Most of us, I’m sure, buy bulk generic paper. That’s fine for most things but printing images where you need detail is surely worth a little more time, effort and expense.
You can however, combine the two. First, go out and buy a box or packet of premium paper [not glossy, or glossy photo] of the same brand as your printer.
Store it away somewhere safe as you will only use it by choice and not daily.
As an example, let’s take an epacket that has 8 pages. The first one is B & W text; the next 4 have color images, the next two are B&W diagrams and the last one is a full size color photo.
You will need 8 pieces of paper that you will layer in order. The first piece of paper can be generic, THEN TAKE 4 PIECES OF YOUR PREMIUM PRINTER BRAND PAPER, then 2 pieces of generic paper AND THE LAST PIECE WILL BE PREMIUM PRINTER BRAND.
(It’s important that you understand how your printer prints pages – first page first or last page first so pay attention to your printing before doing this as you’ll be wasting both ink and paper if they are in the wrong order. Also make sure that you put the paper in the right way up or down. Know your printer well!)
This way you will have good quality images on the pages that matter. It really, really works. It is buying the printer brand of paper specifically for your printer that is the most important.
Julie’s Iris was taught to a Sold-Out class at the 2010 Hoot Convention. Student paintings were spectacular.
