Copier/Printer Color Materials Usage Guide

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10 COLOR MATERIALS USAGE GUIDE
Optical paper qualities that influence image quality
The performance of dry ink is affected by the following paper
characteristics: Shade - Opacity - Brightness - Reflectivity
• Shade – Paper shades may change the appearance of color
images because dry ink is applied in dot patterns (or screens)
which allow a certain amount of the paper color to show
through. Paper shade can also vary significantly among
brands.
Hint: Select a true white paper for
truer color and more natural
looking skin tones.
• Opacity – Two-sided printing requires paper that is more
opaque so that show-through isn’t a problem. A paper with low
opacity allows show-through of images and text from one side
of the sheet to the other (e.g., newsprint). Opacity affects
legibility, attractiveness, and quality.
Hint: For better results on documents
with large amounts of dry ink or
ink coverage, use paper with
higher opacity.
• Brightness –A paper’s ability to reflect light is called
brightness. When dry ink is applied to brighter papers, images
have higher contrast which improves printability and quality.
Hint: For best results, use brighter
papers when copying or printing
documents that contain
photographs or complex
graphics.