Matte or Glossy?

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Kiefer on August 28, 2008 at 8:45pm

I've always been partial to matte. It looks more finished and doesn't pick up fingerprints as easily. Glossy gives off somewhat of a glare also.

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Permalink Reply by KelleyJo Bruenning on August 28, 2008 at 8:52pm

I'm not a fan of matte, however, neither am I of glossy. I prefer the SEMI-gloss. It has the slight texturing that you would typically see with developed 35mm photo papers. Glossy paper tends to accumulate scratches on the surface in a heartbeat, plus it tends to stick to the glass in frames causing that "wet" appearance where it makes contact. Matte to me seems a bit too flat if you are wanting that photo-like look to it. Semi-gloss will pick up some fingerprints, but that is only if you like to just push your fingers all over it. Best thing to do is handle the photos by the sides or get lint-free gloves to handle all your printed work.

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Permalink Reply by Vicki DeVico on August 30, 2008 at 12:16pm

There is no real answer to this question, in my opinion. I believe the correct paper depends on the image itself. I've found that most of my monochrome images seem to look better printed matte, and, in fact, have used watercolor and velvet fine art paper with outstanding results. I actually never print on glossy--if an image isn't a candidate for matte, I use a luster finish (either Epson lustre or Ilford Smooth Pearl). I've framed images with different finishes, and, again, the best look is what fits the image. Not sure this helps, but it's my $.02 worth. I have one additional comment regarding KelleyJo's post above--although I never print on glossy, it sounds like you're not using a mat in your frames...otherwise your image wouldn't stick to the glass. It's never advisable to frame an image without a mat, regardless of the paper used.

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Permalink Reply by KelleyJo Bruenning on August 30, 2008 at 11:30pm

I have actually matted some glossy photos and they still tended to stick to the glass a couple times. Not as bad, mind you, but the larger the photo, the more chance and room it had to stick. No big deal though, I fixed my problem by avoiding straight glossy papers. =)

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Permalink Reply by Sean on November 1, 2008 at 9:20pm

I think it depends on the presentation...for a show or artistic matte...for commercial glossy.

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Permalink Reply by rtkphoto on November 11, 2008 at 8:51pm

I agree with Sean. When you're showing something at an art show or something like that, the photo may have less of an impact if you used glossy paper.

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