What is the best paper to use for fine art prints?

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Today I want to talk about the best paper for printing art prints and greeting cards at home.

I recently got a printer to print my fine art prints and cards, and I have been so happy with the results.

It does take some trial and error to get the perfect print, and I found out quickly that it also includes choosing the right paper.

In this post, I’ll go over what I feel is the best paper for prints, cards, etc. This paper is great for watercolor art prints, digital art prints, and more! I’ll also share the difference a great paper makes in a shocking image lol.

It took a lot of time for me to figure this out, and I’m glad to share my experiences with others to help them save time and money.

Related:

Where I Sell My Art Online

My Supply List!

Green Artist Shop

Best Paper For Printing Art Prints (& cards!)

Choosing the right paper for printing your work can make or break your prints.

I found this out when I tried some cheaper paper and my prints came out muddy and dull. In that moment I felt defeated because I had no idea how I would be able to figure this out.

After searching Google for hours, I found Red River Paper and searched for reviews. I then ordered a paper sample pack from them and did the exact same print on their paper. My image came out PERFECTLY and looked exactly like it did on my computer. That’s when I knew how much quality fine art paper for printing meant.

Just look at the difference below! Cheaper paper on the left, Red River Paper on the right. The EXACT same print and printing settings. The only difference is the paper.

What Paper I Use

I use two different kinds of paper for my art prints and greeting cards. For art prints, I use Aurora Art White (either 250 or 350 both are great) and for greeting cards, I use the 60lb Polar Matte Cards. Both are from Red River Paper.

Art Print Paper- Aurora Art White

Greeting Card Paper- 60lb Polar Matte Cards

As mentioned above, I did order a sample pack from them to test what papers I liked for my work. They have many other options including some textured rag paper options and glossy ones.

These are my favorites and what works for my work, but they have so many options. I recommend browsing around their site to see what stands out to you.

The Printer I Use

I’m really enjoying this printer for printing my art prints and greeting cards in my home studio. The print quality is better than the prints I was outsourcing at a professional print company. I wish I got this printer sooner!

The Tech Stuff

I print from Photoshop, and I use specific color profiles that I downloaded from Red River Paper for my print settings. They have an extensive resource library and you can even choose what printer you have and get tutorials specifically for that paper.

This post isn’t an exact walkthrough of how I print my work, but I learned so much from their resources that I was clueless about before.

So if you are looking for the best paper options for prints for your Etsy or small business shop, definitely check out Red River Paper.

I also want to shout out their customer service because they were so helpful when I emailed them when I was confused about something on my printer. They also have so many tutorials on their website.

If you want to check out what they offer, click here for their website.

This post was about the best paper for printing art prints and greeting cards.

A quickie post about choosing paper and the best paper for art prints! If you fancy watching the video instead though then check it out here :

The paper you choose for your prints is important and reflects the quality of print you are aiming for. There is a vast range of different paper types that you can choose from – starting with bog standard 80gsm printer paper (which I don’t recommend!) to high quality archival papers such as the Hahnemuhle Photograg 308 gsm, which is one of my personal favourites.

If you are not sure where to begin then a great place to start is to contact a paper supplier or printer as a lot of them sell very inexpensive (or free!) sample packs of the different papers that they supply or print on – check out this FREE one from Vistaprint or this one from Fine Art America. This is a great way to be able to compare different papers and check out what the printed result is likely to look like. The packs you get usually contain smooth poster papers, photo papers, archival textured papers and even canvas or board.

Paper Weight/Thickness

Thickness of paper is another aspect you need to consider. Paper weight, or effectively the thickness, is measured in GSM (grams per square metre) or LBS (pounds). The higher the GSM/LBS of the paper the heavier and therefore the thicker the paper is. Personally I prefer to use the GSM value and I wouldn’t print on paper below 200gsm as I like a thicker paper and a lot of archival papers tend to be between 200-300 gsm.

But you also need to consider what the maximum GSM your printer will allow. The maximum thickness on a lot of ‘normal’ home printers tends to be a lot lower than on professional printers (roughly 200gsm). This is especially true of laser printers – as far as I am aware there are only a few laser printers on the market that are able to cope with paper that is thicker than 200gsm.

I personally like to use fine art archival papers for prints of my watercolours and acrylic paintings and use smoother papers mainly for my digital designs. This is because I find that fine art papers have a bit of a tooth to them – much like watercolour paper – so they give my prints a little bit of texture. However these archival thicker papers tend to be quite expensive so you have to work that into the price of the prints you are selling.

Paper Finish

When choosing the best paper for art prints another thing to consider is the finish of the paper. The paper you can print on can have a gloss finish, a satin finish or a matt finish. I personally prefer a matt finish as I don’t like the shine gloss and satin papers give off (as to my mind this actually detracts from the printed design) – but that is purely personal preference so it is completely up to you and what you prefer.

Lastly you need to check if the paper you are going to use is acid free and whether that is important to you. The lignin in found in normal paper deteriorates over time and causes the paper to become acidic and break down meaning that the paper will age and discolour. If you want your prints to last many years then you need to print your prints on acid free paper – fine art archival papers tend to be acid free. If you are planning on selling low cost prints then this might be less important.

Anyway I hope you’ve enjoyed this short blog post about paper choices and the best paper for art prints. You may also find my other post useful about printing and drop shipping.

Let me know if there is a specific topic you would like me to cover in these blog posts!