Decisions, Decisions. There are a lot of different papers out there to print on, each one usually has a fancy title that makes it more appealing. But if you look past that and you look at the weight, thickness and coating you will start to see a big difference in quality. There are two things that every person who receives a print does when they first open the box, they look at the print and then they feel the paper. Both of those statements will say a lot about the print. It’s important to choose the right paper with the right photograph in order to convey the right message.
I’ve tried numerous papers over the years and each one is unique. But my general rule of them is to print aviation on glossy paper and landscape and wildlife on matte finish papers. Why? Landscape and Wildlife are more alive, they have a texture to them and that matte brings out that texture better. Gloss papers are more sleek, like an airplane. That’s one reason why metal looks so good with aircraft because it brings out that feeling of the plane. Right now I’m using all Epson Signature Papers, with the exception of Epson Metallic Photo Paper Luster. Recently I switched to Epson Hot Press Bright which is an amazing matte paper! Now if you don’t know what to use, buy a box of 8.5×11 and try it out. Printing is one of those things that you have to just try yourself, videos and blogs don’t do prints justice.