When printing digital photos you have a choice between matte and glossy photo prints. Glossy photo prints have a shiny finish while matte ones have a more subtle neutral one. So which one should you choose? There is no right answer - there are pros and cons to both.
Again matte and glossy simply refer to the finish to the photo paper digital photos are printed on. To achieve the finishes, different chemicals and processes are used when printing. Matte finishes do not reflect the viewing light and appear darker and less bright than their glossy counterpart. Glossy photos appear shiny, reflect viewing light and are more vibrant and colorful.
Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons that come with both glossy and matte digital photo finishes.
Glossy photo prints: With their shiny finish, glossy prints draw the eye. They seem to be fancy and have a high quality feel to them with their bright colors. The colors are also deep and rich in glossy prints. But the same features that can attract can also be a disadvantage. The shiny veneer on a glossy print can act as a reflector making viewing difficult when under an intense light source such as an extremely high wattage bulb or in sunlight. Glossy paper seems to attract more dust and gather more fingerprints when people handling photos. Black and white prints work much better in a matte finish than in black and white.
Matte finish: Matte photo prints do not reflect light and are thus easier to view at almost any light condition. Matte photo prints are also less likely to attract dust and fingerprints and are less likely to get dirty over time. Black and white matte photo prints look better than black and white glossy photo prints. On the downside matte photo prints do not have the fancy high quality look that glossy photo prints have. Colors in matte photo prints are less vibrant and less rich than on glossy photo prints.
So how should you decide on the matte or glossy finish? The choice is up to you and what you are going to do with your prints. The basic rule of thumb is glossy for color prints and matte for black and white. If a lot of people will be handling your prints when viewing, opt for the matte finish to preserve the cleanliness of your prints unless you are willing to spend some of your time cleaning glossy ones. Another thing to consider is where your photo will be. If you are going to enlarge an image to hang on your wall for example, choose a matte finish as the glossy might reflect too much light and create a glare.
As with many other choices a matter or glossy choice is a matter of personal preference. To make an educated decision you should have experienced both. If you do not have that experience you can choose a few photos some color and some black and white and print them both on matte and on glossy paper and in different sizes. Look at the prints and see what you like and what you do not like about them. In the future you would be able make better choices by applying that experience.
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