Red River Frequently Asked Questions

Because of the volume of support inquiries we strongly suggest you email all technical support questions through our support center.

You can also call 888-248-8774 and ask for support. The person that answers may be able to help. They may ask you initial questions and answer immediately. Or you may be forwarded to a tech support specialist. Please note you may need to leave a message. We return all calls within 24 hours.

Yes. We have an extensive library of inkjet tips, tricks, suggestions, and knowledge articles.

Yes. We curate the largest printer color profile library on the web today.

Yes. Here's our feeding and handling of inkjet papers tips.

Getting good quality inkjet prints is not all that hard. You must start with a good quality file! Garbage in, garbage out still applies. Low quality or low res file is common reason for poor prints. For a 4x6 print, the minimum file size is one meg. If you are printing an 8x10, three megs is a good starting point.

Learn to edit. Poor editing skills, or simply editing the wrong aspects of your image, is a primary reason for bad print results. Also, editing for print is not the same as editing for the web or your screen. Watch some top tips to help when editing for print.

Next, make sure your printer property settings are correct and match with our recommendations. You can find the setting recommendations on our website and in each box of paper. Finally, you can consider using printer color profiles. Profiles make color management more consistent and output more accurate. Learn about printer color profiles.

Choose a paper that is appropriate for your image. Red River Paper products are "photo quality". However, some pictures lend themselves to certain types of inkjet paper. We offer glossy, satin, non-gloss, and artistic surfaces. Try a Red River Paper inkjet sample kit to see which papers you like best.

Choosing a printer depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to print photos that can be sold and that will resist fade, you should use a pigment ink based printer. Epson and Canon both offer desktop options that use pigment inks. The 13" Wide Inkjet Printer Guide Wide offers a comprehensive list of pigment printers to get you started. In the wide format space, 17" and larger, choices from Epson, Canon, and HP abound. Most photographic wide format printers use pigment inks.

If long lasting prints are not a concern, dye based inkjet printers are a great option. Epson, Canon, and HP all make fine quality dye inkjet printers. Contact us for more help picking a dye inkjet printer.

For inkjet greeting cards, read our article on the best printers for greeting card printing .

The best paper is the paper YOU like! There are thousands of subjects, genres, and topics of interest in the world of photography. Our take on paper surface and best images takes years of customer feedback and printing into account. However, we will never say a particular inkjet paper is unacceptable for a photo or project. The choice is ultimately yours to make and yours to enjoy. Continue to the Best Inkjet Papers by Photography Subject.

Over the past 20+ years, Red River Paper has served customers from a wide variety of business and industry. Based on feedback from customers and hours of print testing, we have become familiar with what papers work well for different projects. Continue to the Best Inkjet Papers by Project or Industry.

On many inkjet printers, the machine actually lets go of a sheet before the print is finished. This means the paper is "floating" free and can move around a bit. If the paper has a slight upward curl, or is thicker than standard photo paper, this can cause a head strike which leaves black smudges or streaks on the print. Paper curl is usually caused by humidity changes.

Most printers have a software based control to move the print head up or down to adjust for paper thickness.The ability to raise the print head comes in handy if you've seen these problems:

• Pronounced lines in an image
• Scuff marks
• Ink splotches - particularly on the edges of paper
• Continue reading Printer Adjustments for Thick Papers.

You can find more tips for handling and feeding inkjet papers here.

There are a few reasons why your inkjet print might come out with a medium to strong magenta or pink cast or tint. Find out more in the riveting "Why do my inkjet prints have a magenta or pink cast?" article

Red River Paper is a paper converter. We buy bulk inkjet paper in rolls from mills in the USA, UK, EU, and Asia. At our facility in Dallas, TX, we sheet and cut our products into over 14 different sizes and rolls. When you buy from Red River Paper, we are the only step between you and the paper mill. This means better value and an assurance you are buying only the very best photo and artistic media. Because we are independent and distribute our own products, we are not only experts at all things inkjet, we are committed to service and support that are unmatched in our industry. Let us earn your loyalty and become your paper people of choice.

The base paper stock in virtually all inkjet media is acid and lignin free. Current paper making technology removes these elements by default.

The coating on the inkjet paper is another matter. All high quality photo glossy media (as well as satin, semigloss, and luster) has a small amount of acidity in the coating. It is more or less a requirement for instant drying capability. The amount of acid in the coating is not enough to change the fade resistance outlook. You will find totally acid free papers if you look to matte and fine art varieties.

The keys to protecting inkjet prints from fade are:

• Display under glass in a frame
• Display out of direct sun
• Storage in humidity and temperature controlled environments

As you might imagine, paper is important. However, it is not nearly as critical as ink. Pigment based inks are designed to maximize fade resistance and time on display before major changes occur in your print. If long term print display is your intent, choose a pigment inkjet printer.

Learn more about Red River Paper product grades here

Red River Paper sells photographic and art quality inkjet paper. In other words, we provide the absolute best quality papers on the market. This limits our ability to use recycled or mixed paper pulp. However, all of the wood pulp we use comes from managed forests.

Click for more information on the topic

Red River Papers are compatible with any inkjet printer. Our papers are tested for quality and compatibility Epson, Canon, and HP models. Our products are sourced from some of the same mills that make Epson and Canon paper, so you can be assured Red River Paper only offers paper that is as good or better than the "big brands". Go here for a listing of the most popular Red River Paper products for your printer.

All Red River papers are inkjet paper. In general, this means that they have a chemical coating that helps trap inkjet ink and produce photos with sharp detail and bright color. We offer gloss, semigloss, satin, matte (non-gloss), watercolor (cotton), and speciality inkjet media.

All rolls are wound with the coating facing out.

Most Red River papers are available in the following sizes:

Yes. All of our products with the exception of 32lb. Premium Gloss are pigment compatible. This includes pigment inks from the printer manufacturers and alternative ink suppliers like Cone, MIS, InkSupply.com, Precision Colors, and STS. 

Inkjet printing is surprisingly affordable. Despite the hype of ultra-high ink costs, when you do the math, inkjet prints save you money. Compared to a print lab, inkjet prints larger than 5x7 are almost always more affordable. Detailed information on this topic is here.

How long a print will last depends heavily on your printer. In fact, what ink your printer uses is about 75%-85% of the print life "equation". Pigment inks are an absolute must if you want prints that will last many years. Dye inks will make prints that last 20-30 years depending on the type of paper you use and display conditions. Always display prints under glass or sprayed with UV protectant for longest possible print life. Matte and watercolor papers offer longer print life (with dye and pigment ink) than do glossy and semigloss papers. Red River Paper does all print life testing with the Rochester Institute of Technology. You can access our results here.

Yes. Red River Paper has the largest collection of printer color (ICC) profiles for hundreds of printer models. 

Yes dry mounting is possible with inkjet papers. You will need to experiment with the temperature and time with different papers. In general you'll want to use the lowest possible heat setting you can when mounting inkjet media. Be prepared to do some testing. A detailed article on dry mounting inkjet prints is here

No.

We discuss that question here.

Red River Paper virtually invented the inkjet paper sample kit. We've offered samplers for over many years years. In that time, we have tried every possible way of marking the sheets so our customers can easily identify the papers they like and need to purchase. Placing the label on the front of each paper creates the least amount of confusion, and helps to keep you the customer from being overwhelmed by a bunch of similar looking white sheets. Also, some papers cannot be stamped on the back as ink will adhere to that side of the media.

As samples, we intend for these sheets to be printed so you can tell if you like them or not. While they can be used for production prints, we hope that you use them for testing purposes. Please note you can get a full trimmed 8x10 out of each sample sheet if you do not want the markings.

We refer to the sample labeling on the sample kit order pages in two locations.

You can get a full trimmed 8x10 out of each sample sheet if you do not want the markings.

We buy inkjet paper and media from mills in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Red River does business with a variety of paper makers from some of the largest to the smallest mills in the world. Our special relationships with these manufacturers make it possible for Red River to offer papers you cannot find anywhere else and products are great prices.

The answer is subjective, but we have a great guide to black and white printing here.

Our products are specifically coated for use with an inkjet printer. However, customers have used them in laser printers with success. The biggest issue is cost of inkjet paper compared to "laser papers". Inkjet paper costs much more than laser specific paper because of the coatings we use. Laser paper only requires a semi-smooth surface material to function properly. We encourage you to contact us and request a sample of any paper you are considering for your laser. Click here for more about inkjet papers in your laser printer. 

Inkjet paper from inkjet paper experts. Red River was founded in 1997 and has over 70 years combined experience in fine papers. We hand pick fine paper from mills around the world and bring them to our plant in Dallas, Texas. From here, we convert the paper to various sheet sizes and rolls, as well as add special features available only from Red River. We offer wholesale direct pricing, and the convenience of over 30 different inkjet papers under one roof. Red River Paper invests the time and money to understand and test the latest inkjet technology from Epson, Canon, HP, Lexmark and others so you do not have too. Our client services representatives are well versed in our products and inkjet printing, and can give our clients helpful advice on which Red River papers will suit their needs.

We are in Dallas, Texas. Our address is 8330 Directors Row, Dallas, TX 75247. Click here for a map of our location.

Our management staff has a combined 70 years experience in the fine paper industry. Our knowledge, contacts, and manufacturing experience make Red River Paper a truly unique inkjet paper company.

Yes. 888-248-8774.

Yes. 888-248-8774.

Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Central Time.