How to Change Settings for the Thicknesses of Paper in Printers

By Daniel Hatter

Change your printer's paper setting to match the type of paper you're going to use.
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To achieve the best print quality, you need to set your printer to the paper type you're going to print on. Standard paper is relatively thin compared to other paper types like matte, photo and cardstock, so the standard paper setting will make a printer perform a lower-quality printout to reduce color bleeding. You can change the paper thickness on a printout-by-printout basis in the Printing preferences window.

Open the document or webpage you want to print and click the "Print" button. In the Print dialog box, click the "Preferences" or "Properties" button.

Click the "Media type" or "Paper type" drop-down menu and select the paper type you'd like to use from the list. The options available may vary by printer type, but they will usually include "Photo paper," "Matte paper" and "Cardstock."

Click "OK" to confirm the paper type change and insert the paper into the printer's paper tray. Click "OK" or "Print" when you're ready to print the document or webpage.

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