A number of photo inkjet printers use two different primary black inks - Photo Black or Matte Black. Each is optimized for a certain type of inkjet media.
Use Photo Black for glossy photo paper and satin inkjet photo papers. Some fine art media like baryta photo paper and platine type photo paper also require the use of Photo Black inks. You will use Matte Black inks for cotton fine art and matte inkjet media. Matte papers are usually smooth and have a flat non-reflective surface.
Older Epson printers like the Epson R2400 and Epson R2880 require that you physically change the ink tank when you want to switch media types.
Newer Epson printers, and all Canon printers (with multiple black inks) have all of the ink tanks on the printer at one time. The machine will either automatically switch when you change paper settings, or it will do a short "ink swap" then proceed with printing.
Which Black Ink Does Each Red River Paper Use?
| Product | Recommended Black Ink |
|---|---|
| UltraPro Gloss 2.0 | Photo Black |
| Polar Luster Metallic | Photo Black |
| Polar Gloss Metallic 255 | Photo Black |
| UltraPro Satin | Photo Black |
| UltraPro Luster 300 | Photo Black |
| UltraPro Satin Duo 255 | Photo Black |
| Arctic Polar Satin | Photo Black |
| Arctic Polar Luster | Photo Black |
| Arctic Polar Luster Double-sided | Photo Black |
| Premium Gloss 120 | Not compatible with pigment inks |
| 42lb. Pecos River Gloss | Photo Black |
| Pecos River Gloss DUO 320 | Photo Black |
| 45lb.Zeppelin SemiGloss Double-sided | Matte Black |
| ColorJet 97 Photo Matte | Matte Black |
| Premium Matte 120 | Matte Black |
| 37lb. Premium Matte | Matte Black |
| 47lb. Premium Matte | Matte Black |
| 60lb. Premium Matte PLUS | Matte Black |
| 60lb. Polar Matte | Matte Black |
| Paper Canvas 230 | Matte Black |
| 88lb. Polar Matte | Matte Black |
| Premium Matte 120 Double-sided | Matte Black |
| 50lb. Premium Matte Double-sided | Matte Black |
| 60lb. Polar Matte Double-sided | Matte Black |
| Aurora Art White | Matte Black |
| Aurora Art Natural | Matte Black |
| San Gabriel Baryta SemiGloss 2.0 | Photo Black |
| Blanco Matte Canvas | Matte Black |
| Palo Duro SoftGloss Rag | Photo Black |
| Palo Duro Etching 315 | Matte Black |
| Palo Duro Baryta 300 | Photo Black |
| Trinity River Velvet 315 | Matte Black |
| Baram Hanji | Matte Black |
| Noori Hanji | Matte Black |
| Palo Duro Matte Canvas | Matte Black |
| Palo Duro Satin Canvas | Photo Black |
| RR Transparency PET Inkjet Film | Photo Black |
| Glossy Sticker Paper | Not compatible with pigment inks |
| Matte Sticker Paper | Matte Black |
| Pecos River Gloss 360 | Photo Black |
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Last updated: November 24, 2025
