Printer Paper

Printer paper in general is like sand by the sea. To find the right paper for the occasion (for example, application, business letters, invitations, etc.), it is important to find out about the paper types. How thick is the paper? What quality does it show? You can read more about photo paper, thermal paper, multifunction paper, copy paper and printer paper in general on our website.

Different types of printer paper in the overview

Multifunctional Papers

This paper also lives up to its name and can be used equally for different printers and different occasions.

Environmental Paper

This paper is also known as recycled paper and consists of waste paper. Also in this area there are different quality levels. If the paper is very gray, the quality is lower. With a high degree of whiteness, the quality is better, but the paper is usually more expensive. This type of paper is suitable for everyday printing, so as a classic copy paper, anytime and well suited. It is compatible with both ink and laser printers.

Photo Paper

This paper is slightly more expensive than other copy paper, as it is especially suitable for photo prints. If it should be a bit cheaper, then the photo paper is also less thick and stable and maybe the print quality a bit lower. Photo paper is offered on the one hand for inkjet printers, but also for color laser printers. The surface of the photo paper is slightly glossy and provides a truly brilliant hue.

Ink Printing Paper

For this type of paper, the name is Program. It has a special surface in which the ink of an inkjet printer is absorbed. This results in a very good print quality and the colors are stronger if you use special inkjet paper (compared to normal copy paper). This paper is particularly suitable for high-quality prints, where it depends on a very good quality. With a laser printer, the inkjet printing paper is not compatible.

Copy Paper

This paper is known not only as a copy paper, but also as plain paper. This name says it all, because it is the most common paper. The print quality on copy paper is better for a laser printer than for an inkjet printer, but most copy paper grades could be used with both device variants.

Thermal Paper

This paper is suitable for the so-called thermal printing process. The thermal paper is provided with a layer that reacts to temperatures. The effect of heat activates dyes and creates the image. This thermal paper is widely used, for example, in small, mobile printers in order to be able to immediately print small photos in the "Polaroid style", which are often also provided with a self-adhesive backing.

Laser Printing Paper

This coated paper has a very smooth surface and is therefore suitable for upscale prints. However, it may be that the laser printer toner does not adhere well to this paper or is easier to break off and scratch off. So it's best to buy the paper in a small size and test it with your own laser printer. However, this type of paper is not suitable for an inkjet printer.
 

Various printer paper grades for laser and inkjet printers

If you own a printer, you may not even care what copy paper it actually uses. Paper is often on offer and it ends up in your own printer. So far so good. However, they give away a lot of possible quality if you bet on the wrong paper. A good printer alone does not make any good impression, and the paper also contributes a great deal to this.

The copy paper is differentiated between paper for

  • inkjet
  • laser

This distinction is very important because both devices use very different techniques to create the prints. An inkjet printer paper should therefore not be used in a laser printer - and vice versa just as little.

The pressure on a laser printer

If you have a laser printer, then the toner powder is "melted" at about 200 degrees onto the appropriate paper. This also means that the paper for the laser printer must not have too high humidity, otherwise the structure could be destroyed. The result would be curled paper and thus a very ugly expression.

The papers should therefore be "natural" or uncoated, as they are most suitable for a laser printer in that case. Pay attention to the note on the copy paper as to whether it has been designed for laser printers.

The pressure on an inkjet printer

On the other hand, the moisture content of the paper is completely unimportant in an ink-jet printer since the ink is also wet in that case. Of course - the paper should not be too wet because it can only absorb a certain moisture in general. So if you want to print a lot of ink, should put on a slightly thicker paper for inkjet printers.

For a very thin paper, it may be that ink flows through the paper due to ink flow.

Good to know: The print resolution determines how much ink is used for printing. If you use very thin inkjet printer paper, you should also lower the print resolution a bit. Best suited for an inkjet printer with a high print resolution are high quality coated paper grades or even photo paper. Here you can expect high-quality colors and a brilliant resolution, without having to accept losses.