should i buy Matte Photo Paper, 8.5 x 11 Inches,reviews

This high-quality photo paper from Canon delivers professional quality prints that are perfect for creating custom photo albums, Christmas cards, brochures, and much more. The matte finish and heavy 8.5-mil (0.22 mm) thickness help to give your prints detailed lines, crisp colors, and a surface that feels just like it came from a photo lab. With a Canon-rated light fastness of up to 15 years, you'll be enjoying your prints for years to come. Specially designed for high-resolution printing, this super bright paper will help you achieve photo-lab quality results at home. 50 sheets of standard (8.5 by 11 inches) paper are provided.

After getting the Canon i960 printer, I had to try this paper. One it was cheap. And two, the diverse reviews here intrigued me to no end. After making a few prints on this paper, I began to think I knew why the paper was so cheap...it was THAT bad!

Then, when I came to do a review, I fortunately read the one that cautioned printing on the right side of the paper. There was a right side? I then read the directions with the paper--there is indeed a right side, and it is whiter than the back. It will be hard for some to tell the difference. But the difference from printing on the right side and the wrong side is truly astounding! I'm a big glossy paper fan, but there is a nice look to this matte paper. And it is MUCH cheaper than the Photo Paper Pro. It is also much cheaper than buying greeting card paper.

But be aware, the money you save not buying more expensive photo paper will be going to buying more ink. Compared to glossy paper, this paper drinks ink. I've been making calendars with it, and was shocked to see the way the ink was consumed. Yet, I can't see making calendars with any paper than this. It makes beautiful calendars! I print a borderless 8x10 photo, using my Canon photo software on the bright white side, and a calendar page, using my calendar software, on the opposite side. The pages bind very easily with a 1/4 inch plastic binding comb. And as I said, it makes a strikingly beautiful photo calendar.

Thus, if you have only one type of Canon paper on hand, I would have this one. But if you can't give up the glossy look for photos, it won't work for you. Personally, I prefer using Kodak paper when making glossy prints on my Canon. And Kodak has a satin finished paper, but there is the Kodak name all over the back. One of the great things about this Canon paper is you can print on both sides. But do make certain you know the front from the back, before printing a photo.

I have a Canon PowerShot G3 and a Canon S900 printer. I've tried all of the Canon papers, and they all produce excellent output. I had been using mostly the Photo Paper Pro, assuming that the most expensive paper produced the best output. However, my testing shows that for most photos, I actually prefer the output of this Matte Photo Paper. I found that the color of most objects and people looks more natural with the matte paper. Best of all, this paper is less than 25% the cost of the Photo Paper Pro on a per sheet basis. If you're using one of the Canon photo printers, you definitely need to try this paper out. I think you'll find the output excellent and the value outstanding. I use this paper with my Canon printer. It is so reasonably priced that I use it to "proof" prints before printing on a more expensive glossy paper. It gives good color depth and fidelity. The color fidelity is good enough to use it for a final print or as a preview paper. Highlights and shadows are good. I haven't had the prints exposed long enough to see how color fast they are. I have had problems with some of the Canon color papers when it comes to color durability whent the prints were exposed to light and L.A. "air" (smog) for even short periods of time. The particular problem was with blacks degrading over a period of only a few monthes with their Canon Photo Paper Plus glossy paper. Plain copy paper prints held up fine but I want to test this matte paper in the same conditions. If you can't hang your pictures on your refrigerator with magnets, what else is left in life? Canon only tests for colorfast under glass and carefully evades quesions about exposed prints like the plague. (4 emails to Canon Tech Dept....evaded answering my question specifically times 4) I hardly write any reviews, though I shop online a lot. Probably this is my first negative review ever. I am a hobbyist and love my pictures. Picture print quality is everything for me because the pictures I print are for myself. I have Canon Pro9000 mark ii printer... This printing paper is just an average thick paper, does not look like a professional matte photo paper at all. I have printed only 2 pictures on it and they both were completely unacceptable to an extent that I trashed 'em. I would not recommend it and am actually disappointed that Canon manufactures these kind of sub standard products. I am not sure if I can return it...but the 48 sheets left are garbage for me. I did finally figure out which side of the paper to print on , and that made a slight difference. I am used to matte paper, but this stuff is barely more than thick papeI wish I had read more reviews than just the first ravers. This paper is shite. It's no better than card stock. I don't like high gloss, but it shouldn't look
like printed letter paper. I expected matte, the same way we used to get from the photo developer. I don't know what this paper is for, but
it ain't for printing photos. This paper prints very high quality photo work, it is heavy enough to make card models from if that interests you. The price works out to about $0.20US per sheet which is high for card models but very good for photo paper.If you have ever gotten poster board for a school project, this is what you get in a small form. It's terrible. I suppose if you are using it for a school project then it would be great to print on, if you don't mind sacrificing the quality of whatever you are trying to print. I read a previous review stating that it drinks up ink and you can see that when your photo is printed. It left big ink spots on the photo that did not disappear when it dried. It's exactly as it would be if I put poster board in my printer, minus the slight shine. I take my own pictures of my son instead of taking him in and I am a huge scrapbooking fan, hence the reason I bought matte paper; it looks nicer behind a frame and doesn't get the same glare off of it and it looks a little more professional. I would rather drive to fred meyer than waste my ink on this. Spend the extra money and buy nicer paper. i get the whole "matte" thing... but this paper is not good enough for me
try the semi-gloss, it will get you a bit of shine on the paper to make the color of photos look better. not like they were printed on standard paper.
And black and white pics? forget about it! When I first opened the package, I was horrified, as this paper has NO LUSTER AT ALL !!! I looks like a normal document paper which is slightly thicker. When I took the print though, the picture came out sharp and clear, not sure whether its only because of printer, or some credit goes to this bad boy. Still, the print by itself looked way too matty. But after I put it inside a photo frame, it looks perfect. the gloss from the glass makes up for the lack of sheen, and you cant tell at all that the print is a completely matte one.
Hence, to cut the long story short, I would recommend this product for art and craft, or for framing (in a glass photo frame). I purchased this for use in crafts, namely to print high-quality trading cards. I had expected it to be slightly more glossy, but not shiny like a developed photograph, but its texture is much more like regular printer paper. Despite this, it performed well and, with two sheets glued back to back, was about the thickness and firmness of a trading card. This paper at first proved to drive my patience. I felt frustrated about the color quality coming out of my printer and was tempted to resort to glossy paper for my art prints. Blacks appeared gray, colors dark and muted compared to what I was seeing on screen. I changed my screen settings, changed my print setting, yet after four full page prints I was disappointed with the quality of what I was seeing. I was truly prepared to jump in with the gang of the one-star group, until I read the instructions (yes, instructions) that came with my paper.

*****THERE IS A RIGHT SIDE AND A WRONG SIDE ON THIS PAPER*****

If you print on the wrong side of the paper you will get results like those who rated this paper poorly. If you print on the correct side of the paper you will be pleased to find beautiful quality. Rich blacks, vibrant colors, and sharp edges.

I printed the same image of a bee I drew yesterday on the front and back of one of these sheets and posted it in the images of this product page to show just how much of a difference printing on the wrong side of the paper can make. If for whatever reason you gave this product a negative rating, make sure you didn't make this simple but quite devastating mistake.

The correct side is slightly smoother than the incorrect side. The right side is also much brighter than the incorrect side which is slightly yellowed. I know it will pain some of you, but the only way I've been able to tell and double check before wasting my ink is by folding the paper over under a good light source. The difference is subtle, but it is there.

Overall these papers are of legitimate quality. As for the fading of these papers I cannot say, but in ten or so years I'll give you an update. So far I see no problems. I have been using this paper quite regularly. I am a graphic designer and I often print out proofs for my clients for logos, business cards etc on this paper with my inkjet Canon printer. The results are always good and the paper is heavy enough to be used for this purpose. My only objection is that the backside of the paper has a lightly darker tone (almost invisible, but it's there) and when I need to print it double sided, I am not so happy with having a slightly darker paper on one side. But overall, I would definitely recommend it