Systems and methods are provided for improved radiant heat control within a dryer of a printing system with reflective elements. One embodiment is a dryer of a printing system. The drying includes a radiant energy source configured to apply heat to a print medium. The dryer also includes a reflective element installed between the radiant energy source and the print medium. The reflective element is configured to have varying levels of reflectance. The dryer also includes a controller configured to determine an amount of heat to supply to a region of the print medium, and to adjust an amount of reflectance of the reflective element based on the determined amount of heat.