The 10 Best Photo Papers
Updated by · How we research
Glossy, luster, satin, matte and cotton photo papers compared by finish, weight and printer match. Epson Ultra Premium Glossy leads for lab-like home prints. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Photo paper looks its best with the ink it was made for. Canon, Epson and HP tune their papers to their own printers, and a mismatched sheet or the wrong driver setting can leave colors muddy. This guide is for anyone printing photos at home, from 4x6 snapshots to framed portraits, plus phone sticker prints and cotton art paper.
Editor's Notes
October 26, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
Epson Ultra Premium Glossy is our new favorite. It's the heaviest glossy sheet Epson sells, and a box of 50 costs less per print than the 20-sheet Canon Plus Glossy II, which stays as the cheap way to find out whether home printing suits you. Canon Pro Luster, HP Advanced Glossy, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag and the HP Sprocket ZINK paper stay too, and HP Advanced Glossy now points to the letter-size pack.
The Epson Ultra Premium Luster and Hammermill Color Gloss listings are gone, and Hammermill's sheet was laser paper anyway. The Kirkland Signature and Polaroid ZINK packs are no longer available. We swapped the thin Epson Value 4x6 for Epson Premium Glossy in the same size, and added HP Premium Plus Satin, Koala Ultra Premium Luster and Canon Matte MP-101 to cover satin, budget luster and matte.
No lab has compared these papers head to head. We read Canon's spec sheets and the weights printed on each box, photographers' guides to finishes and paper bases, and print-permanence research, then looked for patterns in owner feedback about which printers each paper suits.
March 09, 2021:
We removed the Moab Lasal Exhibition 300 in this update due to availability issues. During our research, we found that the other selections on the list are still the best choices available.
We decided to add another Zink option to the list: Polaroid Premium. Like the HP Zink, these sheets are 2" x 3" with a sticky backing that use an imaging technology where the color is embedded in the paper, thus requiring "zero ink." Also like HP, Polaroid offers a pocket-size printer that can be used to print digital photos onto the paper. But what makes Polaroid stand out is the fact that it also offers Zink-compatible instant cameras so you can take pictures and turn them into wallet-size photo stickers with a single device.
For those who don't have the time or equipment for printing pictures at home, we added Nations Photo Lab Printing to our selection of Special Honors. This online service offers a variety of sizes and paper types at reasonable prices. It also provides color correction and mounting options for professional-looking results.
However you print your photos, you should always make sure that your source material is high-resolution first. No matter how good your equipment and paper are, you're not going to get quality results if you start with a low-res image.
January 08, 2020:
Having a high quality photo printer is pointless if you don't use the proper paper with it — any old card stock just won't do. While many professionals can wax poetic about the granular details regarding color management profiles, gamut, opacity, and grams per square meter, we wanted to distill some of the best options into one list with something for everyone. That includes budget-friendly options great for school projects, like Epson Value, middle-of-the-road choices for business use, such as HP Advanced 5x7 and Canon Plus Glossy II, and selections worthy of professional photographers who sell their prints.
While we wanted to recommend a variety of products ideal for at-home and craft use, we felt there was a lack of top tier, museum-grade offerings for exhibitions and gallery prints, and so we added the well-respected Moab Lasal Exhibition 300 and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. These are overkill for casual and disposable use, but if you're an artist or want to preserve truly special memories for future generations of your family, these two are the ones to beat. If you're looking to get close to that quality for a lower price tag, Epson Ultra Premium Luster represents a nice middle ground.
We said goodbye to Canon Pixma Matte, which seems to many users to be glorified card stock and doesn't quite meet the standards most laymen have when it comes to quality. And while we still believe Kodak Ultra Premium is a solid gloss option for professional-looking photographs, we felt we had enough of these options to merit the inclusion of the Moab offering instead.
Special Honors
Nations Photo Lab If you only print a few photos a year, an online lab can make more sense than buying ink and paper. Nations Photo Lab, based in Maryland, prints on professional lustre and other photo papers and also offers canvas, framing and wall displays. nationsphotolab.com
Red River Paper Red River Paper, a Texas company, sells its own inkjet photo papers directly, from glossy and luster to cotton art sheets, and offers sample packs so you can compare finishes on your printer before buying a full box. redriverpaper.com
Glossy, Luster Or Matte: Pick The Finish First
Portrait and wedding photographers lean on luster for exactly that reason.
The finish changes how a print looks more than anything else on the box. Glossy paper gives the most contrast and the deepest blacks, but it reflects light and picks up fingerprints. Luster, also sold as satin, pearl or semi-gloss, has a fine texture that cuts glare and hides smudges while giving up a little punch. Matte has no shine at all, which makes it easy to view from any angle, but colors look softer and blacks turn charcoal. Photo Workout's comparison of luster and glossy sums up the trade-off well.
A simple rule covers most homes. Prints going behind glass look best on glossy or matte, since the glass adds its own shine. Prints that will be handled, passed around or hung bare do better on luster. Portrait and wedding photographers lean on luster for exactly that reason.
Paper names are not consistent across brands. One maker's satin is another's soft gloss, and labs use luster and semi-matte loosely, so judge a paper by its sample prints and description rather than the word on the box.
Weight, Base And Matching Paper To Your Printer
Photo paper weight is listed in grams per square meter (gsm) or pounds. Budget glossy sheets weigh around 180 gsm and feel thin. Premium sheets of 250 to 300 gsm feel like a print from a lab. Most of them are resin coated: a paper core sealed between two thin plastic layers, which makes the sheet flat, quick drying and resistant to water and scuffs. Cotton rag papers are the other big family, prized for their feel and long life but much more expensive. Landscape photographer Stephen Bay explains the main paper bases and why each suits different prints.
Canon, Epson and HP design their papers around their own inks, and their printer drivers carry a matching setting for each one. Choosing that setting matters as much as the paper itself, because it controls how much ink lands on the sheet. Papers often work well across brands, but results vary, so run a test print before committing to a big box.
Print on the coated side only, which is the shiny or textured face. Never put inkjet photo paper in a laser printer. The coating isn't built for a laser printer's heat and can damage the machine, so buy paper labeled for laser printers instead.
Making Prints Last, And Where ZINK Fits
How long a print lasts depends on the printer, the ink and the paper together, not the paper alone. Research from Wilhelm Imaging Research, reported by Macworld, found that many dye-ink prints behind glass and out of sunlight last decades, while pigment inks resist ozone and humidity better. Dye inks hold up poorly on matte art paper. Wikipedia's print permanence article explains how these ratings are made. Whatever you print on, frame behind glass, keep prints away from sunny windows and store spares flat in a dark box.
ZINK paper is a different thing altogether. It has dye crystals built into the sheet that color up with heat, so a ZINK printer needs no ink, as MIT Technology Review explained when the technology launched. The small sticky-backed prints are fun for journals and lockers, but they only work in ZINK devices such as HP Sprocket and Polaroid printers, never in an inkjet. They are softer in color and fade sooner in sunlight than a good inkjet print.
How we researched this
We compared 17 photo papers, including the full old list, read Canon's paper specification pages and the weights and thicknesses printed on each maker's box, photographers' guides to finishes and paper bases, print-permanence research, and best-of picks from photography magazines, looked for patterns in owner feedback about printer compatibility and drying, and checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. No lab has published a head-to-head test of these papers.
Sources (11)
- Photo Workout: lustre vs glossy photo paper
- Stephen Bay: how to choose a paper for printing your photos
- Canon Europe: Photo Paper Plus Glossy II PP-201 specifications
- Canon Europe: Photo Paper Pro Luster LU-101 specifications
- Digital Camera World: best photo paper
- Popular Photography: best photo paper
- Macworld: ink type and print permanence
- Wikipedia: print permanence
- MIT Technology Review: printing without ink
- Hahnemuhle
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: SaferProducts.gov
Frequently asked questions
Is glossy or matte photo paper better?
Glossy gives the most contrast and the deepest blacks, so it suits prints framed behind glass. Matte has no glare and suits bright rooms and crafts. Luster sits between them and is the safest choice for prints that are handled or hung without glass.
Does the brand of photo paper have to match my printer?
No, but it helps. Canon, Epson and HP tune their papers to their own inks and drivers. Other papers often work well, so run a test print and pick the closest paper setting in the driver.
What does resin coated mean?
A resin-coated sheet has a paper core sealed between two thin plastic layers. It stays flat, dries fast and resists water and scuffs, which is why most premium glossy and luster papers use it.
How long do inkjet photo prints last?
It depends on the printer, ink and paper together. Good combinations kept behind glass and out of sunlight can last decades. Pigment inks generally resist fading better than dye inks, especially on matte paper.
Can I use inkjet photo paper in a laser printer?
No. The coating isn't made for a laser printer's heat and can damage the printer. Buy paper labeled for laser printers instead.
What paper does a Polaroid or sticker photo printer use?
Small phone printers such as HP Sprocket and many Polaroid models use ZINK paper, which has color built in and needs no ink. Buy the pack made for your printer's size, usually 2 by 3 inches.
