How to compare two paper brands with identical settings

You want to know whether one paper brand prints better than another, but changing settings between sheets can make the comparison misleading. A printer may alter color, ink use, or sharpness when you choose a different paper type or quality level.

Use the same printer, test page, and print settings for both papers. The Printer Test Page gives you color blocks, gray steps, lines, and text to compare side by side.

Print the same test on both papers

Open the Printer Test Page and load the first paper brand. Use the same size and finish for both brands, such as two packs of letter-size matte paper.
Print the page using the browser's print command: press Ctrl + P on Windows or Command + P on a Mac. Choose the printer you will use for both tests.
Keep the print options the same. Check paper size, orientation, scale, color or grayscale mode, quality, and any paper-type setting. Write down settings that are easy to forget.
Replace the first paper with the second brand and print the same page again without changing any options. Label the sheets on the back, then let them dry for the same amount of time.

Put the two sheets side by side under the same lighting. Compare the same areas in the same order. If you want a more reliable result, print a second pair and reverse the order, so the second brand is not always printed first or last.

What the result means

One sheet looks brighter or more yellow

The paper itself may have a different base color or brightness. White paper is not always the same shade of white, and that changes how colors and gray tones appear. This difference can matter for photos, presentations, and documents where the paper color is visible.

Colors look stronger on one paper

The coating and surface can change how ink spreads and reflects light. A smoother or coated paper may make colors look more vivid, while an absorbent surface can make them appear duller. That is a real difference between the papers under these settings, but it does not prove which one will look best with a different print mode.

Text or lines look sharper on one sheet

Look closely at small text and the fine line patterns. Soft edges, gaps, or ink spreading can show how the paper handles small details. Check that both pages were printed at the same scale, because a page fit or scaling change can alter apparent sharpness.

Gray steps blend together or look tinted

The gray steps show whether the printer distinguishes nearby shades and whether neutral gray looks colored. Paper can affect the appearance, but the printer's color handling and viewing light matter too. Compare the sheets under one steady, neutral light rather than switching between a warm lamp and daylight.

The sheets look nearly identical

Under this particular printer and settings combination, the differences may be small. That does not mean the brands will behave the same with photos, a different quality mode, or a different printer. Keep the settings unchanged if you want to compare them under this same condition.

Keep the settings identical

Use the same printer and tray. A different printer, tray, or paper path can change feeding and print behavior. If one paper is thicker, feed each sheet the same way if possible, and note any difference in the printer's handling.
Check the print dialog before each sheet. On Windows 11, press Ctrl + P, choose the printer, then check More settings and Printer properties if available. On macOS, choose File › Print, then Show Details to review the available print options.
Keep the paper type setting fixed. If both papers are the same type, use one media setting for both. For example, compare two plain copy papers using the same plain-paper setting. Printer and driver names vary, so the option may be called media type, paper type, or something similar.
Keep scale and quality fixed. Use the same paper size, orientation, scaling, quality, and color mode on both prints. If the page is reduced to fit on one sheet, make sure it is reduced by the same amount each time.
Do not optimize one brand separately. If you change the media type or quality setting for only one paper, you are comparing two printer setups, not just two papers. You can run a separate comparison with each brand's recommended settings, but keep that result distinct from the identical-settings test.

What this comparison cannot prove

The Printer Test Page is a practical visual check, not a laboratory measurement of color accuracy, paper whiteness, or long-term durability. Your room lighting, monitor display, ink or toner condition, and printer maintenance can all affect what you see. Use it to compare these two papers on your printer, not to predict exactly how every photo or document will look.

Keep the printed sheets together and note the printer settings, paper names, and date so you can repeat the comparison later.