What printer paper do you recommend, and why?

[mws]

I bought myself a Canon Pixma Pro-100 as a Christmas present. It’s a great printer, if anyone is on the fence about one, you won't regret it.

That being said, what papers do you use/recommend, and why?

Almost all of my printing will just be pictures of my kids for myself and family. Right now I’m using Canon photo pro paper and am satisfied with the results. I poked around on the internet, and couldn’t really find anything about the differences in different types and brands. I’ve heard good things about Ilford papers.

[fotoray]

I have an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer and use Epson papers.  My favorite is Enhanced Matte Paper - formerly called Archival Matte Paper.  Epson calls this a "Professional Paper".

I prefer the look of the matte finish and like that it dries almost immediately.  It comes in a Heavyweight (or double weight) thickness that is easier to handle than single weight.

Hope this helps!

[dickgrafixstop]

Try the Staples matte paper in various sizes.  The Canon, HP and Epson papers are just branded and
more expensive than papers by Boise Cascade, Hammemuhl and others.

[dickgrafixstop]

as important as the brand of paper is using the correct profile.  see this reference

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/3rd_party_papers

[crasher8]

I prefer Canson Photographique for B/W. You must use the  correct icc. For color I use Ilford Galerie or Epson luster.

[agierke]

i am a huge fan of the Hahnemuhle line of papers. they have been making paper for over 400 years for fine art applications and are by far the best papers i have tried for ink jet printing.

 i mostly use the Fine Art Baryta surface and the Photo Rag Bright White. both feel substantial in the hand and give prints a feeling of significance. i am not sure if other fine art papers have this quality, but the Hahnemuhle papers are designed to receive the inks in a fashion that imbeds them in the fibers of the paper (rather than Epson papers that only receive the ink on the surface). as i understand it, this gives Hahnemuhle prints greater longevity as well as an appearance of greater depth. other fine art papers may also have this feature but im not sure about that.

i will say that i have only used epson printers (R288o currently) and you do have to be careful that the specs of the paper dont exceed the capability of the printer to transport them through the rollers. i am not sure what the pixma pro 100 is capable of so you would have to look into that yourself.

[victorwol]

I like very much the Moab line, and the fact they have great ICC curves for the papers, and of course quality. The Slickrock paper is awesome.

[jondave]

Given your usage, anything beyond the good quality staples and kirkland photo papers will just be a waste of money. More than the paper you use, you will get the best results by making sure you have matching .icc profiles. If you can get your papers custom profiled, including the staples/kirklands mentioned, the results will blow you away even more.

[JaxPhotographer]

MWS,
I think paper choices are dependent on both personal preference (the look/feel/mood you want to convey) and your intentions on display environment and archival needs. There are so many types of inkjet papers out there that cover so many different characteristics that it can be a little overwhelming. As others have suggested, most of the major manufacturers offer sample packs that can help you decide suits your style and needs.

I personally have sampled most of the Hahnemuhle, Ilford, and Epson papers. Most of my printing these days I am doing on either Ilford Galerie Prestige Gold Fiber Silk (both color and B&W) or Hahnemuhle Monet Canvas. The Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta and Epson Exhibition Fiber give me something if I want a slightly brighter, higher D-Max if I am not concerned with the OBA's and Hahnemuhle FB Baryta if I am really going for something with a high gloss, extra white paper. I am printing on an Epson 7890 and Epson 2200.

Are these papers necessary for family photos as you indicate you are focused on with the new printer? Probably for most people they are not as they are a bit more expensive. Try out a sample pack or two from some of these companies if you want to experiment with the higher end papers. Otherwise stay with the "standard" economy papers for now.

I also agree with the comments from jondave, Crasher8 and Dickgraphixstop that you should always use the correct ICC profiles for your printer and paper to get your best results. Good luck and enjoy your new printer.

[tgara]

I have an Epson R1900 printer, and I use Epson paper and ink.  Most of the inkjet photo printers (e.g., Epson, HP, Canon, etc.) are designed to work with papers and inks from the same manufacturers, although some manufacturers also provide profiles for other papers.

For your stated purposes, I would simply stay with the Canon paper and ink.  If you get into more artsy printing, etc., then you can think about other papers.

[Canon Rumors]

I use Hahnemuhle and Ilford papers. Hahnemuhles canned profiles are very good.

I use a Pixma Pro-1 and iPF8300.

[Kernuak]

i am a huge fan of the Hahnemuhle line of papers. they have been making paper for over 400 years for fine art applications and are by far the best papers i have tried for ink jet printing.

 i mostly use the Fine Art Baryta surface and the Photo Rag Bright White. both feel substantial in the hand and give prints a feeling of significance. i am not sure if other fine art papers have this quality, but the Hahnemuhle papers are designed to receive the inks in a fashion that imbeds them in the fibers of the paper (rather than Epson papers that only receive the ink on the surface). as i understand it, this gives Hahnemuhle prints greater longevity as well as an appearance of greater depth. other fine art papers may also have this feature but im not sure about that.

i will say that i have only used epson printers (R288o currently) and you do have to be careful that the specs of the paper dont exceed the capability of the printer to transport them through the rollers. i am not sure what the pixma pro 100 is capable of so you would have to look into that yourself.

I also use Hahnemuhle, with a combination of Photo Rag Pearl and Photo Rag Baryta. However, it does tend to curl at the edges, so you need to roll it backwards on Epson printers at least, otherwise the print heads can catch it and shift the alignment when it reaches the end, ruining the print.
Btw, for normal every day use, it's probably overkill.

[joshmurrah]

Hobby-level guy here, I use the Canon paper with my Pro 9000 II.  The paper is cheap and the profiles are built into the driver, so no worries.

The paper is by far, the cheaper part of the expense as compared to the ink, so I just stock the Canon paper whenever I find it on sale.  13x19 $1 a sheet usually, and 4x6 paper for proofs/giveaways costs less than a nickel when you buy the 400 pack.

The ink, however, wowsah...$$  I'm just too chicken to try the messy injection or potentially disasterous bulk kits.

[jondave]

Hobby-level guy here, I use the Canon paper with my Pro 9000 II.  The paper is cheap and the profiles are built into the driver, so no worries.

The paper is by far, the cheaper part of the expense as compared to the ink, so I just stock the Canon paper whenever I find it on sale.  13x19 $1 a sheet usually, and 4x6 paper for proofs/giveaways costs less than a nickel when you buy the 400 pack.

The ink, however, wowsah...$$  I'm just too chicken to try the messy injection or potentially disasterous bulk kits.

i'm using top-of-the-line 3rd party ink, refilled cartridges, and custom profiles for all my papers. It's not disastrous, far from it, if you do it properly. The cost of a spectro to make your own .icc paper profiles is peanuts compared to the money you'll save on ink. Also, you're free to use any paper you see out there and still get the best results.

[TexasBadger]

I have an Epson R3000 printer and I swear by Red River Paper.  My two favorites are Polar Pearl Metallic and Artic Polar Gloss.  They have sample packs and icc printer profiles on their web site.
www.redriverpaper.com