Traditional paper defect detection algorithms have the problems of low detection rate and poor anti-interference ability for low contrast paper defects such as cracks and folds. Considering these problems, an algorithm of low contrast paper defects based on artificial bee colony optimization was presented. Firstly, the Gabor filter was used to eliminate the texture elements and enhance the contrast. Then, the optimal segmentation threshold of 2-D OSTU was obtained by taking the trace of the dispersion matrix of the filtered paper disease image as the objective function of the artificial swarm optimization. Finally, according to the best segmentation threshold, the paper image was detected by 2-D OSTU method. The simulation results indicated that this algorithm has the advantages of high detection rate, accurate positioning and good anti-disturbance performance for low contrast paper defects.