newbie confused

Hi, I'm new to printing, and went to buy some paper and well, all I can say is what are the on about, Isn't the name of the product meant to articulate to some extent what it is, Is there a photo paper language.
Do i just need to copy, past, google, every name, Iv know idea of what any of the lingo means, For instance why do they call some papers rags, And others galleries quality, Are they just companies trying to make there paper sound better by calling it gallery quality.

lol go to the various paper websites such as Ilford, Epson, Moab, Canson.....they all have sample packs you can at low cost. also, better camera stores that sell papers will have swatch books you can look at. rag generally means cotton fiber and galleries quality means no optical brightners (UV).

seanE said:

Is there a photo paper language.

Click to expand...

Yes, there is. Some choices:

- cotton rag or sulfite paper?
- baryta?
- paper weight (usually grams/sq meter)
- paper surface (glossy, matte, luster, lots more)
- optical brighteners (OBAs)?
- coated one or two sides?

Freestyle posts a lot of inkjet info on their web site: Inkjet Papers and Inkjet Fabrics | Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Thanks guys, I never know there was so much you could do with printing, I find the textures very interesting, it looks like I've found an other black hole to sink money i don't have into, better than putting it into shares any way, thanks