You have to treat your good photo paper almost as carefully as you treat film. One important thing is that you need to store it flat. You need to be sure that when your paper is placed into your printer it’s perfectly flat and smooth. You don’t want it to be rippled or curled from having spent time on its side.

Second important thing is to keep it in a sealed bag. Your goal is to protect the paper in its pristine, original condition until the moment you put it into the printer for use. A sealed bag will keep humidity from harming your paper. Paper that is made from 100% cotton is very absorbent. If you live where there is high humidity, your paper will almost curl before your eyes if you were to leave a sheet sitting out. You don’t want that to happen, especially if you plan to print on both sides of double-sided paper.

A sealed bag also keeps your paper clean. This is important because you want to keep dust or any particles floating around in the air away from your paper. Remember, you’re going to place this paper into the printer for the ink to be placed on in a very precise way. Anything on the paper surface will block the ink from covering that area. That too would be bad for the final print. It’s also not great for your printer to have foreign matter placed inside.

Good brands of paper provide re-sealable outer packages as well as an inner plastic bag. As soon as you’re finished printing, re-seal the rest of the sheets first inside the plastic bag, and then in the cardboard package.

Ideally, inside a drawer or cabinet with a door is the best place for paper. That way the paper stays clean and is not exposed to light. If loose sheets were kept sitting outside in the light, you would see them change color over time. Test this for yourself. Leave a piece of paper out, then after a week or so, compare its color to the papers that were stored in the bag properly. You want the paper to be as white as possible when you’re ready to print on it. Keeping it in the dark will help to ensure that.

And the last tip is to pay attention to temperature. If your paper storage area is in front of an air conditioner, or heating vent, in front of a sunny window, a cold basement, a hot attic, or – imagine -- the trunk of your car! -- You’re in big trouble. You want a place that stays at a constant, mid-range temperature.

Treat your photo paper nicely, and it will, in turn, be good to you by giving you nicer prints.