No, actually I found that having a little bit of color actually helped release the paper better on the fine traces. I look for a light color background because most of my boards are 2 sided and it's difficult to align the pages when you can't make out the crosshairs against a dark background...
Good quality magazine/catalog paper is all I use. I haven't used maxim datasheets before, but I believe it should work. You look for paper that doesn't have a lot of loose recycled paper pulp content. Also, the laminator really lends itself to consistant results --I had difficulty with a hand...