How to choose the right paper for your printer

Check what your printer supports

Look up the supported paper weights and sizes in the manual or on the specification page. Most home printers handle everyday paper easily, while heavier card often needs the rear or manual feed slot.

Use 75–90 g/m² paper for everyday printing

Standard office paper is about 75–80 g/m², sold in the US as 20 lb bond. Slightly heavier 90 g/m² (24 lb) paper shows less through the back and suits double-sided printing.

Match special papers to the printer type

Use inkjet photo paper and inkjet labels only in inkjets, and laser labels and laser films only in lasers. Inkjet coatings and some label adhesives can melt or peel in a laser’s hot fuser.

Load photo paper the right way up

The printable side is the brighter, glossier or coated side. Many rear feeders take it face up and many front cassettes take it face down; the symbol on the tray shows which way your printer wants it.

Fan and square the stack

Fan a new stack gently to separate the sheets, tap it square on the desk, and don’t fill the tray above its maximum line.

Set the guides snugly

Slide the paper guides in until they touch the stack without bending it.

You should see: The stack sits flat and square, with no gap at the guides.

Confirm the size and type on the panel

When the printer asks what you loaded, choose the actual size and type. A mismatch between the printer’s setting and the computer’s causes paper-size errors and the wrong print quality.

Open the printer settings from your app

In the app you are printing from, open the print dialog and choose Printer properties, Preferences or More settings, depending on the app.

Set the paper or media type

Choose the type that matches what is loaded: plain, matte photo, glossy photo, envelope, card or labels. This setting controls how much ink the printer lays down, or how much heat a laser uses.

Set the paper size and source

Choose the size you loaded and the tray it is in. For card and envelopes, choose the rear or manual feed if your printer has one.

You should see: The print preview shows the right page size and the page prints without a size error.

Save the settings for photos

If your driver offers presets or shortcuts, save one for photo paper so you don’t have to set everything again next time.

Open the print dialog

Press Command + P in the app you are printing from.

Find the media and quality settings

Look for Media & Quality or a Paper Type setting. Newer versions of macOS group these in sections you can expand; older ones list them in a pop-up menu in the middle of the dialog.

Choose the paper type and size

Set the paper type to match what is loaded, and the paper size to match the tray.

You should see: The preview shows the right page size.

Save the settings as a preset

Open the Presets menu and choose Save Current Settings as Preset, so photo settings are one click away next time.