In the last couple of years Inkjet printing speeds have increased dramatically. It can be expected that commercial inkjet printing with associated ‘web-press’ systems soon will meet or exceed the very high printing speeds of impact printing methods, such as offset. Microporous paper coatings used for modern photo inkjet paper are known for their extremely fast drying behavior and ink drop absorption, compared to standard paper. Fumed silica with its unique fractal structure is the key ingredient, hence creating pores and capillaries of the microporous coating. It can also be used on standard printing paper by applying very thin layers at the sizes press of the paper machine. The result is impressively improved print quality but also enhanced absorption speed of the ink drops. In this technical study, we used high speed cameras to measure the speed of absorption of water and a model ink at different modified paper surfaces.