Inkjet paper

For lower quality printing, uncoated copy paper suffices, but higher grades require coating.

For matte inkjet papers, it is common to use silica as pigment together with polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH).

A variety of fine art inkjet papers meet the needs of professional photographers and artists.

Fine art papers are usually made of rag pulp (100% cotton being the most common) but may also have an alpha-cellulose base.

For inkjet printing, this dulls edges of lines and graphic boundaries, and lessens pigment intensity.

High-quality inkjet printing with dark, crisp lines requires that the paper have exactly the right absorbency to accept the ink but prevent sideways spread.

Many general-purpose office papers of weights around 21 to 27 lb (80–100 g/m2) have been reformulated to work equally well with both inkjet and laser printers.

Double-sided inkjet printing is usually not possible with inexpensive low-weight copy paper because of bleed-through from one side to the other.

It is a bright white due to bleaching or pigments such as titanium dioxide, and has been coated with a highly absorbent material that limits diffusion of the ink.

For printing monochrome photographs, some photographers believe that traditional silver-based papers exhibit deeper black tones and smoother tonal gradation compared with inkjet prints; however, objective testing of contemporary fine art inkjet media (in particular the finer gloss and luster papers) does not support these impressions.

Photo papers for more critical work are thicker and have advanced coatings, sometimes with quick-drying properties.