I need to print an eulogy off my email, copy a newspaper article, and make copies of photos to frame all together to give to my family members to hang on the wall, so they will be exposed to temperature changes and light.
Will you please recommend what would be the best paper and ink for word articles and photo paper to use for printing?
I asked the framing shop, but they want it all printed up before I bring it to them.
If you want a long lasting piece, use acid-free paper (also called "archival" paper). You can probably find some in your local art store or online.
The vast majority of paper you can buy (like office paper or cheap drawing paper) is bleached with acid. That gives it a pure white shine, but the acid is never fully neutralized and remains in the paper. As a result it will continue acting on the paper fibers and deteriorate it over many years. The paper becomes more and more yellow and brittle.
If the paper is kept in a frame and not touched, the biggest difference will be the color. We still have decades old newspaper and such that is clearly aged, but still intact.
As for the printing itself, toner (used by laser printers) is actually more durable than ink. It creates a very thin layer of plastic on top of the paper and AFAIK it resists UV light more than ink.
