The science of photo printing

The following two tips are the “golden rules” for printing excellence. Be true to them and they will never betray you. Cast them aside and you leave yourself wide open to problems such as smudged photos, ho-hum picture quality, and even paper jams.

• Use genuine HP ink cartridges.
• Use photo paper that is manufactured specifically for your printer.

There’s a reason that HP recommends using only genuine HP ink and photo paper in an HP printer. It’s because these three components have been designed to work together as a system to get the best results possible.

Specially coated inkjet paper, for example, improves printing because it’s primed with an agent that helps bind the ink to the paper to reduce smearing. It contains several performance layers that absorb ink drops in a controlled way, creating dots that optimize brilliance and sharpness. Other types of paper can absorb too much ink, causing images to become blurry or too light.