Paper sample books are available at all times outside our lab area, Sharp 1111. If you need help picking a paper please send us an email or schedule a consultation. We carry over 20 different substrates to print on from Fine Art Rag to Backlight Film for light boxes to Canvas that can be stretched.
A LIST OF WIDE FORMAT INKJET PAPERS WE CARRY & PRICES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE DIGITAL STOREFRONT
If you need help picking a paper you can schedule a 10 Minute Consultation with a technician.
What is Inkjet Paper?
Compared to traditional photo paper, i.e. silver-based photographic paper, inkjet papers include an extremely broad variety of fiber-based (and non fiber-based) surfaces. What makes any given paper specifically an inkjet paper are the coatings found in the surface, which unlike photographic paper are not at all light-sensitive, but instead are designed to accept dye and/or pigment-based inks.
The base of inkjet paper can be made out of different materials such as cotton (rag), wood (alpha-cellulose), or synthetic materials such as plastic, vinyl, or even tyvek.
A coating is applied to the base material that allows the ink to stick to the paper.
Acid free means a paper has a PH of 6 or higher, indicating additional steps have been taken to reduce the acid content from the paper making process, thus lessening deterioration over time, these papers are also referred to as ‘Archival’ (to truly be archival the inks used must also be archival)
Some papers include Optical Brightening Agents (OBA) that increase the apparent brightness or white point of the paper, over time these OBAs will fade and the natural yellow tone of the paper will appear, this process is accelerated if the print is exposed to UV light
Types of Papers
Papers come in a number of surfaces and textures other than glossy, semi-gloss and matte including museum quality fine art and fiber-based surfaces that emulate the look and feel of traditional silver-based darkroom papers.
Glossy
Glossy papers will show richer blacks and a larger color gamut.
- Epson Premium Glossy
- Epson Premium Luster
- Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl
- Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
- Sunset Metallic
Matte
Matte papers have a smaller color gamut and may not be able to recreate as deep of black tones. Matte papers will reflect less light and do not have as much reflection issues when framed.
- Epson Enhanced Matte
- Epson Single Weight Matte
- Hahnemühle Bamboo
- Hahnemühle Museum Etching
- Hahnemühle Photo Rag
- Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Ultrasmooth
- Hahnemühle Rice Paper
Specialty
We offer a wide variety of specialty media such as transparency film, clear adhesive film, adhesive fabrics, canvas and other fabrics, banner material, and tear resistant Tyvek.
- Sunset Matte Canvas
- Inkpress Transparency
- Lexjet Adhesive Vinyl
- Lexjet Backlight Film
- Lexjet Outdoor Banner
- Lexjet Tyvek
- PhotoTex Adhesive
Customer Supplied Paper
Under specific circumstances customer supplied paper can be used:
- Paper must be on a roll (2″ or 3″ core) or very large sheets (approximately 20×30″), due to the size of our printers smaller sheets are not able to be printed
- MUST have Inkjet specific coating, this information can be found on the product specifications sheet or on the manufacturer’s website, without this coating the ink will smear and wipe off most materials. We can print on some uncoated watercolor/drawing papers but the colors may not be as vibrant and the ink may smear
- Choose the ‘Supply Your Own Media’ when submitting an order through the Digital Storefront, we will print one copy as a test to make sure the paper works with our printers
Choosing a Paper
Fine Art Prints
Fine art prints, photographs, anything that should last a long time should be printed on cotton or alpha-cellulose papers that are archival, additional steps such as UV coating or UV glass are needed to fully protect the print from bright lights, these papers can scratch a lot easier and should only be handled with extreme care.
- Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl
- Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
- Hahnemühle Bamboo
- Hahnemühle Museum Etching
- Hahnemühle Photo Rag
- Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Ultrasmooth
- Hahnemühle Rice Paper
Large Posters, Banners and Signage
For banners, signs, or prints that will be handled more, plastic or vinyl based papers are recommended. While not as archival, thicker versions of these papers are much more durable and stand up to repeated rolling and handling. Thinner versions on the other hand offer cost effective ways to proof images or print large quantities. High gloss papers can shows scratches and dents if not handled carefully.
- Epson Premium Glossy
- Epson Premium Luster
- Sunset Metallic
- Epson Enhanced Matte
- Epson Single Weight Matte
- Sunset Matte Canvas
- Inkpress Transparency
- Lexjet Adhesive Vinyl
- Lexjet Backlight Film
- Lexjet Outdoor Banner
- Lexjet Tyvek
- PhotoTex Adhesive
Are inkjet prints archival, and if so, how long can they last?
The archival qualities of inkjet prints, i.e. how long they will last before fading, is determined by three criteria: the ink, the paper and the environment in which they are stored and/or displayed.
Ink
The inks used in inkjet printers fall into three categories: dye, dye/pigment hybrids and pure pigment. Assuming the inks are used with a manufacturer-recommended paper surface and kept away from heat, bright light and humidity, dye-based inkjet prints can last anywhere from a decade to several decades. In the same perfect world, dye/pigment-based ink sets similarly used with recommended paper surfaces and properly displayed or stored can last even longer. The most stable of ink sets―pure pigment, printed on acid-free paper and stored under these same ideal conditions, can be expected to last 100 to 200 years. Our wide format inkjet printers use pigment based inks.
Paper
Using a pure pigment based ink most premium glossy, luster and semi-gloss surfaces should last 40-70 years before fading becomes noticeable, when stored or displayed under ideal conditions (not exposed to light, heat or moisture). When exposed to high amounts of UV light or heat these prints can start to degrade in a matter of months or years. Rag (100% cotton) fine art papers (such as the Hahnemühle papers) can theoretically 100-500 years.
Environment
The environment plays as vital a role in the longevity process as the ink and paper do, with excessive heat, light, humidity and airborne pollutants being the primary villains. As such, a print hanging on the wall at your summer beach house will start fading sooner than the same print hanging on a wall out of range of direct sunlight in an air-conditioned room. Similarly, a print stored in a dark, acid-free enclosure will outlast the same print hanging on a wall.