Inkjet Art Paper: The Difference Between White and Natural White

When choosing an inkjet art media, one factor to consider is the shade of the base paper. Is the base layer bright white? natural white? or true white?

The differences in whiteness can be very subtle, but can affect the look and feel of your art. The whiteness of the paper affects whether your colors will look sharp and vibrant, true-to-life, or subtly softer.

Bright White inkjet art papers use brightening chemicals to make the fibers in the paper look brighter and whiter. These papers tend to absorb the warmer colors and reflect more blues or cooler colors. Many everyday office papers are manufactured to this “blue-white” shade because it looks more visually appealing.

Bright white papers are good for:

• Vibrantly colored photos and artworks used for promotions or decor
• Images with blues and whites, including skies, lakes, oceans, clouds, snow, ice, city lights, and wedding dresses
• Neutral black-and-white photos
• Photos with fine text or details, particularly in the shadow and highlight areas of an image

Bright white papers aren’t considered as archival as papers that are made without brightening additives. As the whitening effects of the brighteners wear off over the years, the paper will revert to its natural level of whiteness, which may be yellowish. Print colors that started out looking bright and bold can look faded, even if the ink colors have remained stable.

Natural White inkjet art papers can have a slightly yellowish tint because they absorb the cooler colors and reflect warm tones. These papers are made without chemical brighteners. The color of the paper depends solely on the whiteness of the fibers used to make the paper. Natural white papers are considered archival because the color of the paper won’t change as much over time.

The creaminess of natural white papers can enhance the look of

• Sepia-toned black-and-white photographs
• Portraits
• Digitally restored old photograph
• Landscapes of desert scenes and sunsets
• Paintings with reddish or yellowish tones

True white papers reflect all colors equally. These papers are used in the four-color process printing of documents and books. They combine “easy-on-the eyes” readability with decent-quality color graphics and realistic color photos.

Inkjet art media is usually either bright white or natural white, because large prints aren’t meant to be “read” over a period of time. Large photographs are meant to attract attention, decorate the walls of a room or gallery, or commemorate milestones in a family’s history. Large-format papers that are designed for color-accurate proofing of offset press jobs have a true white paper base.

Inkjet photo art media is different than inkjet art media. Photographic art is often printed on a paper that has a white baryta (barium-sulfate) surface treatment. The baryta layer provides the smoothness whiteness for great color reproduction and keeps the ink from being absorbed by the acid-free cotton-rag or alpha cellulose fibers used to make the base paper.