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HP's newest formulation of Advanced Photo paper offers a number of advancements over the previous HP Advanced Photo paper:
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Increased display permanence — more than 200 years when used in combination with new HP Vivera pigment inks |
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Improved gloss uniformity — a higher gloss level produces exceptionally smooth, glossy photos. |
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An enhanced photo feel — significantly stiffer and thicker than the previous HP Advanced Photo paper for a true photo feel. |
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HP Advanced Photo paper, initially introduced in 2005, is a glossy, instant-dry media that offers excellent image quality, durability and water resistance with the look and feel of a traditional photograph. It offers excellent smudge resistance, thanks to HP proprietary instant dry coating technology. The first HP media to feature HP's proprietary Auto Sense technology, HP Advanced Photo paper allows HP Auto Sense-enabled printers to produce photo lab quality prints three to four times faster than previous HP inkjet printers.
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New, Improved Design |
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When used with new HP Vivera pigment inks, the new Advanced Photo paper provides superb image quality and fade resistance. New HP Advanced Photo Paper is available in glossy and new soft-gloss finishes and comes in a variety sizes, up to B+/A3+ (see the section below, Excellent Performance on any Inkjet Printer). Like its predecessor, the new HP Advanced Photo Paper offers excellent handling ability for fast, efficient photo printing. HP Auto Sense technology1 supports even faster photo printing when used with HP Auto Sense-enabled printers.
Enhanced performance features make the new Advanced Photo paper ideal for producing professional, studio-quality photos. Improvements in HP's newest instant-dry media result from a number of advancements in paper coating technology.
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Coating Technology |
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Generally, there are two types of photo paper coating technologies, swellable and nano-porous. Swellable papers, such as HP Premium Plus Photo paper, provide superb image quality and fade resistance when used with HP dye-based inks.2 Swellable papers take longer to dry but typically have offered more fade resistance than the majority of "instant dry" nano-porous media.
HP Advanced Photo paper has a proprietary, nano-porous coating that absorbs ink through capillary pressure for rapid ink absorption and instant dry time. The new photo paper, which is optimized for use with new high-chroma HP pigment inks, has a higher ink absorption rate and higher ink capacity than the previous paper. Since the porous coating is comprised of water insoluble ceramic pigments, it is highly water and scratch resistant.
Each layer of the paper coating serves a unique function and contributes to the new photo paper's enhanced features:
Protection layer:
The protection layer is the outermost layer and is comprised of ultra-smooth ceramic pigments. These pigments provide a durable barrier of protection to the layers below, imparting excellent scratch and fingerprint resistance. The new Advanced Photo paper has a thicker protection layer — 2.5 times the thickness of the previous paper. The increased thickness creates a smoother surface and allows the new photo paper to deliver superior gloss characteristics.
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Imaging layers:
Two imaging layers, directly beneath the protection layer, work together to give the new Advanced Photo paper its enhanced ink absorption capacity. The pigments used in the imaging layers are based on HP proprietary nano-particle technology. The surface of each nanoparticle is customized to provide optimal compatibility with HP's newest inks. Advanced modification technology in HP's new Advanced Photo paper allows the coating to last in excess of 200 years.
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Polyethylene layers:
Two polyethylene layers, one directly above the core paper layer and a second layer directly beneath it, encapsulate and protect the photo base paper from water penetration. The thick, top polyethylene layer over the textured photo base gives HP Advanced Photo Paper an extremely smooth, glossy finish. The bottom polyethylene layer prevents edges from curling and keeps the paper flat for reliable printing performance across a range of humidity levels.
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Core paper layer:
The resin-coated photo base, comparable to the base paper used in traditional silver-halide photographs, gives the new HP Advanced Photo Paper the true look of traditional photo papers and, more importantly, an enhanced feel.
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Increased Gloss |
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The thicker upper and lower polyethylene layers in the new HP Advanced Photo Paper work together to give it a higher gloss level and better uniformity than the previous Advanced Photo paper, as well as most competitive photo papers. The high level of gloss, an attribute that is difficult to attain with nano-porous media, results from a special combination of surfactants and other ingredients used in coating formulation. Careful formulation of key ingredients enables the optimal amount of leveling of ink pigment particles to deliver a smooth, consistent appearance and uniform gloss. The thicker, stiffer paper is also more crease-resistant, so corners are less likely to become damaged or bent.
Unlike some competitive media manufacturers that use UV brighteners to make photo papers appear brighter to the human eye, HP attains a high level of brightness in Advanced Photo paper through careful paper coating formulation. UV brighteners can cause the paper to fade, resulting in color or hue shifts and premature fading of photo prints. Prints produced on papers that contain UV brighteners may also be subject to metamerism. HP Advanced Photo paper, which is optimized for use with Vivera Inks and the new HP Photosmart Pro, enhances permanence without compromising the printer's built-in color calibration. See the technology backgrounder on the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 for details.
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World-class Water Resistance |
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Water can affect photos in a variety of ways. The key variable is the ink used in combination with the paper. When used with new HP Vivera pigment inks, HP Advanced Photo paper produces durable, waterproof prints (see the section above, New HP Vivera Pigment Inks). When printing with HP six-, eight- and nine-ink HP dye-based photo printers, the new Advanced Photo paper produces waterresistant prints. Prints made with other printing systems, such as HP's three-ink compact photo printers, may have a lesser degree of water resistance.
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HP Auto Sense Technology |
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The new HP Advanced Photo paper incorporates HP's proprietary Auto Sense technology, introduced in 2005 with the previous Advanced Photo paper and HP Auto Sense-enabled printing systems. HP inkjet printers with Auto Sense technology 'read' special Auto Sense marks on the back of HP Advanced Photo paper and automatically optimize print settings. Auto Sense technology simplifies printing and helps ensure consistent photo quality while helping to prevent wasted paper and ink. For more information on HP Auto Sense Technology, see the technology backgrounder, Enhanced Media Sensing with HP Auto Sense.
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Excellent Performance on any Inkjet Printer |
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The new HP Advanced Photo Paper is compatible with any inkjet printer and delivers vivid color photos when used with various ink technologies, including pigment and HP's newest dye ink systems.
The new photo paper is available in the following sizes:
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New 8.5x11-inch, soft gloss and glossy |
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New A4, soft gloss and glossy |
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New A3, glossy |
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New B+/A3+ (13x19-inch), soft gloss and glossy |
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New 5x7-inch, glossy |
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4x-6-inch/10x15 cm, glossy |
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4x6-inch/10x15 cm with perforated tab, glossy |
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L-size/3.5x5-inch (available only in Japan) |
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1Not available with A3 and 13x19-in. HP Advanced Photo paper, or with the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer.
2HP Premium Plus Photo paper is not recommended for use with pigment inks.
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Printable version
