Matte or glossy

[Josée]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone knew/could suggest some guidelines on when to use matte or glossy paper? I'm looking at selling some postcards with my photos on them, and maybe some basic prints as well..any thoughts?

Josée

[haibane]

I think it can be considered personal taste. I like matte/lustre for most everything

[Harv]

Josee, as a rule, for my wildlife photos I like to use either high gloss or semi-gloss. For the larger prints, 11x17 or 13x19, I think semi-gloss looks better. I like matte or pearl for portraits etc.

I suspect that most people looking at postcards might be expecting glossy prints as that is what I usually see on the racks. The downside to glossy is that they show a lot more fingerprints than matte or semi-gloss.

Why not ask some of your potential customers what they prefer.

You might send a note to David Cramer ( a member here ) asking him for an opinion. David sells a lot of his wild horse prints and I think perhaps postcards as well.

[samuelwil]

Josee......... What Harv said, is very sound advice. but, sometimes it depend's on where they are hung and if there is any window glare. Sam:coo3l::biggrin:

[Josée]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the input! I hadn't thought about the fingerprints on glossy, or considering where to hang them in regards to sunlight...I'm glad you were all here! :cute:

[JaredB]

My wife and I argue about this all the time when ordering prints - I want them all printed glossy with white borders and she prefers matte without white borders! Sheesh!

[MrPaul]

I prefer glossy prints as they have more depth and brighter colours. But, I can see that in certain places, the lighting may make glossy prints hard to see, so matte would be better. As usual, it is a personal choice.

[retief]

I, personally, don't really like not often print Glossy, but I do use Semi-Gloss/Satin/Lustre instead. It is a toss-up on the Matte vs. Semi-Gloss, but I use a fairly bright white matte paper, Moab Entrada Bright, which I prefer to the darker matte papers. This is, for me, by far the harder problem. There are many gradations in each type of paper, so just saying "Gloss" or "Matte" is tough. What I did when I got my new printer was to buy sample packs, then do a variety of prints on the different papers to decide and what I, and more importantly my wife :biggrin:, like the best.

[ricwis]

I have come to the conclusion that matte vs. glossy or things in between is right up there as one of the most subjective considerations in photography. Personally, I have always preferred glossy prints until I got my new printer and tried the HP satin paper. Now satin is right up there with my glossy preference. However, I printed a couple of prints on some matte and showed them to a few friends along with the glossy and satin prints. They chose the matte over the others. They talked about how it looked like a painting. They just liked it. I look at it and say dull, boring, not my preference. They look at it and say I'll take two.

When I talked to the guy at my local favorite camera store about it, he told me that I am in the 10% of their customers. 90% of customers who order enlargements choose matte. My guess is most of those orders are people pictures, which can look better on matte.

[David R]

My wife and I argue about this all the time when ordering prints - I want them all printed glossy with white borders and she prefers matte without white borders! Sheesh!

OH MY GOD You married my wifes twin sister.