Most of my recent work has been for clients to get printed at their printers of choice, but I have had some ask if I can get them printed at the professional lab I use. Not a problem, I like my work to be professionally printed by industry-standard printers and not one-hour photo specials, or even worse, a home printer.
When the clients get the prints I often get asked why they aren’t on gloss paper, “everyone gets them on high gloss.” Well, actually not everyone does, and for good reason. People who print at home on photo paper most likely from the local pound shop get them on high gloss. Gloss looks nice and shiny, but that’s part of the problem. If you are intending to frame your print you already have the shine/glare of the glass when you look at the photo. Glass paper just adds an extra layer of shine to distract from the actual print. It also tends to stick to the glass, which through time will damage your print. Gloss gets covered in fingerprints, is damaged easier and doesn’t show black and white images at their best (technical reasons but just never get black and white printed on gloss if you want it to look good, trust me).
If you want to get gallery-finish prints then matt paper is the best choice, but it comes at a premium price.
The middle ground, and the choice I go for whether it is my own family photos or for clients, is lustre. It has a subtle sheen to it but is sturdy, non-sticky, and works well for colour and black and white prints.
Hopefully, this clears up why I never print on gloss.
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