A variety of photo printing jobs are carried out everyday, be it in the office, at home, in commercial photo labs, or in industrial large-format printing presses. In all these scenarios, only premium photo paper can deliver the high quality that all of us demand from our printed images, be they personal, for work or for commercial distribution. .

Just what exactly is a premium photo paper? Well, this is a photo paper that is chromogenic, meaning, it is more highly sensitive to the colors red, green, and blue compared to regular copy paper. Being chromogenic enable a vivid reproduction of photo images with yellow, cyan, and magenta shades. This kind of paper produces high-quality image prints that last longer compared to conventional bond paper meant for printing text-only documents.

Premium photo paper is a product of digital photograph printing that is advancing through the years, calling for more specific photo paper types that would render the best quality print in terms of standards like pixel or picoliter size, texture, rendition (absorption of color) and durability (storage).

With the wide variety of premium photo papers available from generic and co-branded (with printer brands like HP, Epson, or Canon) manufacturers, choosing the right premium photo paper can be a daunting task. Fortunately, professional photographers agree to a few basics that would help the average computer user get the best quality home-printed photos.

First, determine the type of gloss you want (soft gloss, basic or standard glossy, super or high gloss or matte finish), and stick to it. Professionals suggest home-testing some of the standard premium photo papers available, taking into consideration the frequency of your photo printing, the size of the pictures and the brand of your printer. For practical results, just simplify the process by using a premium photo paper brand that is the same as that of your printer.