Paper

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Name
john conlin
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Hi going to try to print a few landscapes is there a most common type of paper used
 
A lot will depend on personal preference, pocket, printer and inks. I have printed on all sorts from cheap Tesco glossy paper to Fine Art papers. For everyday prints I have settled on a lustre paper, which is kind of half way between matte and glossy. Buying paper to match your printer is a good start and then decide what level of 'gloss' you prefer.
 
+1 for Joan's comment.

Matt papers tend to be softer and work better for images that are atmospheric and "softer" in terms of aesthetic. Gloss papers tend to be really plasticky, but the gloss effect works well with high contrast images - typically black & white. Lustre/Satin/Insert other name papers are a good middle ground, but quality varies enormously. For me - print quality is as much about what the paper feels like to touch as it is about the actual print.

If you're on a budget, I'd recommend Marutt's Archival Matt as a great starter (and inexpensive) matt paper, or Fotospeed's Platinum Lustre as an excellent (only just) sub-£1/A4 paper. Any lower than this and I found the quality to be terrible. If you prefer quality over price, then I'd strongly advise getting some tester packs and trying different papers. Ilford, Hahnemuhle, Permajet and Fotospeed all do one, and onlinepaper used to do a Baryta test pack that was a mix of many different ones.
 
Part of the fun of printing is trying the different papers. I think if you ask ten photographers for paper recommendations, you'll get thirty answer! Permajet and Fotospeed both lean heavily in to using brand ambassadors, and they have profiles on their respective website where the photographers talk about their favourite papers.
https://www.fotospeed.com/gallery.asp
https://www.permajet.com/Brand_Ambassadors

If you can make it to the photograpghy show, there's a lot of different prints on display on a lot of different papers.

I'll still newish to printing so I can't claim to have had a chance yet to try a wide range of papers. My goto all-round papers at the moment are Fotospeed's PF Lustre and Permajet's Osyter 271. My matt paper so far has been Fotospeed NST Bright White after it was recommended by Rachael Talibart; it hasn't worked for everything but when I does it's looked great. I've just come back from the photography show with a bunch of new papers; Canson Bartya Photographique, (which used to be one of my go-to papers when I ordering prints online from a particular print lab. I want to see how it does with my Pro1), Canson Rag Photographique, Permajet FB Silk Gold, and Innova Smooth Cotton High White 315.
 
My goto paper is Ilford's Galerie gloss. Gives good colours and lasts well, even unprotected in direct indoor sunshine. If the OP wants a couple of bits of 6x4 to try, send me a PM with your address and I'll stick a few in the post.
 
I get my paper from PaperSpectrum. They do a wide range of paper and sample packs. Their premium lustre is my current paper of choice and is excellent value for money.
 
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