Any suggestions for how I can help ensure the long term quality of the pictures I print on regular paper? Will paper matte (bond) work to preserve them or is there a better way? I can't really afford to buy all the photo paper since I print so many pictures for scrapbooking. you need light-fast inks... this will largely depend on what brand of printer you have as to their availability, or even if they're standard issue... particularly the cyan, and also the magenta to a lesser degree, so that you dont get that wierd discolouration as the colour leaches out.
expensive paper won't do a great deal for it. but if you keep your scrapbook mainly closed and in a dark drawer or cupboard that will definitely help.
(if the stuffs costly you might just have to print less pictures or make them smaller so you get more per sheet ^_^ ... or even see if a local photo house is now offering digital developing for comparitively less than good paper and good inks will cost you) Buy paper with high rag or cotton content. This is much more expensive than copy paper but much less expensive than photo paper. Sometimes you can find such papers at discount stores to buy bulk quantities. The higher the rag content the greater longevity and the better the quality of the paper. Sometimes if you are using a cheap ink cartridge such as the refill types it will bleed through the fibers though, so you should use the higher quality original manufacturer's inks. Make sure your prints are completely dry before encasing them in any kind of plastic. Good Luck. | 