Which Photo Prints- Glossy or Matte?

When printing digital photos online you have a choice between matte or glossy photo prints. Glossy prints have a shiny finish while matte prints have a more subtle neutral coating. So which one should you choose? There is no right answer for this, but there are pros and cons to both.

Matte and gloss are two different finishes that are available in photo prints anywhere in the photo industry. Using various chemical techniques and processes photo paper can either have a glossy or a matte finish. Glossy finish looks shiny, bounces light very well, looks vibrant and colour rich. The matte finish, on the other side, does not reveal much light and looks "darker" and a bit dull- though not in a wrong way.

There are pros and cons to taking either matte or glossy for personalised photo prints.

Here are some of them:

1. Glossy photo prints:

They are shiny and are more appealing to the eye. They look elegant and convey a superb feeling. They have vibrant colours that look rich and deep making it look like the photos were done at some expensive photo lab. On the downside, glossy prints' "shiny" attribute can be a problem when photos are viewed around light sources such as daylight sun or bright light bulbs. Light reflected from such a photo print can blind the viewer making it hard to observe the photo. Glossy paper print is also more likely to attract dust particles and fingerprints marks, thus more likely to get dirty over time. Black and white glossy prints do not look as good as they on matte ones. So it is suggested that glossy prints should be used to bring out colours of an image.

2. Matte Finish:

Matte prints do not reflect light and are thus easier to inspect at almost any light condition. Matte finish is also less likely to attract dust and fingerprints and is less likely to get dirty over time. Black and white matte photo prints look much better than black and white glossy photo prints. As a disadvantage, matte photo prints do not have the fancy high-quality look that glossy photo prints have. Colours in matte photo prints are less vibrant and less rich than on glossy photo prints. But they do show the contrast of darker shades very well. So photos with contrast colours in the background and front would look amazing as matte prints.

So which photo prints in Australia to decide - matte or glossy?

 

It really depends on your requirements and what you intend to do with the photo prints. As a universal rule use glossy photo prints for colour prints and matte photo prints for black and white ones. If the photographs are going to be used and touched by many people, then matte is an ideal choice unless you do not mind giving time cleaning your glossy photo prints now and then. Also if you intend to print sizeable photos-for instance to mount on the wall or frame it to be put on your desk, matte is a better choice since a considerable glossy print would act as a large shiny light reflector.

As with many other selections, a matte or glossy option is a matter of personal inclination. To make a well-informed decision, you should have the experience of both. You can choose a few photos of some colour and some in black and white to print them both on matte and glossy paper. Try in different sizes as well to get a better idea on which suits your style. In the future, you would be able to make better choices by applying that experience.

CanvasChamp has an option to let you preview your image on both the type of photo prints on the website. To get a better idea on how to manage your photos, visit CanvasChamp today.