Ric Henry |
Matte or Glossy - Preference? Hi everyone, What are some of you guys and gals printing Matte or Glossy. Is there a difference between the two besides personal preference. What are the pros and cons? Thanks for your help.
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Michelle Ross |
I prefer matte over glossy for all of my work ... I think matte handles better and stays looking nicer over time. ... I don't print anything of importance myself and send off for all of my work. I think as long as the quality of the paper is good that either will have longevity to it. And, for most, I think it simply does boil down to a personal preference!
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Ric Henry |
Michelle, Thanks for your input. I seems to me that the glossy pictures like to stick together. I see that you change your icon? How are things going? Ric
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Michelle Ross |
Hi Ric. . . things are going well . . . I'm swamped with fall sittings . . which is a great thing . . . which icon did you notice I changed because I still see the same one hmmmmmm
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Liza M. Franco |
Hi Ric, This really is a personal preference type thing. I think you get a lot better clarity and a crisp look with glossy. When you think about it, most matte finish paper has little dips and valleys in it. When you think about it in that way, all of those little dips and valleys kind of disperse your photo, which gives it that soft look. Glossy shows finger prints terribly, though, where matte hides them really well. Personally, I prefer matte, because I can't stand to see fingerprints. It also is very nice for portraiture because of the soft look.
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Ric Henry |
Michelle, That is weird now the icon is gone. You had a icon of some dolls with a yellow backround. Right? What I saw that you responded to my question was a icon of A Old Wind Mill, that is why I commented on you changing icons. Ric
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Ric Henry |
Michelle, Now you have NO icon just text.
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Michelle Ross |
Hi Ric. .. I've been trying to change this silly icon . . . I was still seeing the doll hwen you were seeing the windmill ... but I didn't like the windmill missing the head so I tried to change again so I deleted and will try again later. . that function for me is never an easy thing to do .. . weird! I can't believe anyone noticed. . . you are very observant! :-)
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Debby A. Tabb |
OK, Now I am going to throw you for a loop: I like glossy for my animal and landscape prints ... as Liza says, they seem more vivid and crisp. And I print portraits in matte - I feel it gives them a richer more real look.
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Kerry L. Walker |
For weddings, I get mine printed on texture - sort of between matte and glossy.
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Justin G. |
I print on lustre. It's got a nice coat on it ... meaning it's not glossy for glares and not matte for a sometimes dull look. Plus, matte has no polycontrast features. Lustre is beautiful IMHO. I think Lustre is a Kodak thing. I use Kodak Polycontrast III & IV Lustre finish.
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Ric Henry |
Thanks everyone for commenting on my question. I will try some of these different finishs and see what I think. Thanks for the input. Ric
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Roy Blinston |
Matte or Gloss is a personal preference. My preference is for gloss for general work and matte for portraits. The gloss does show up detail much more ... as the matte does have that dispersed look. From a "copyright protection" point of view ... if you supply your pics on matte, this makes it difficult for people to copy via scanning (as the scanner picks up all the bumps and crevices).
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Ric Henry |
Roy, The copyright protection point of view is some thing I never thought of. Thanks for responding to this posting. Ric
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Roy Blinston |
Also ... "textured paper" is even worse for scanning (hence even more protection).
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GARY FESPERMAN |
Hi Ric, I have been doing photography for about 30 years. And I have been doing digital photography since 1993. I'm also a digital photography teacher at the local college. I discuss this with my students every semester. Usually about 2/3rds of the students prefer glossy up front. By the end of a class, most are not using glossy. Why? Matte prints will outlast glossy by many years. Glossy prints scratch easier and show smudges and fingerprints. Also, for me, they have a look of being plastic. Which I know of no one, or any scenics, that have this look. It's just not a real look. Epson claims 200 years when a Matte print is matted and framed behind glass. Also with their watercolor paper. This is with newer printers, such as the Epson 800, 1800, 2400, 4800, etc. Also, the Epson 2200 has a good life for prints. In between glossy and matte are semi-gloss and luster papers. Semi-gloss is a little more to the glossy side, and luster is a little more to the matte side. They have a longer lifespan than glossy, but a shorter one than matte paper. These papers have a slight texture to them. I usually use the Epson Luster, and sometimes Ilford's Smooth Pearl. My third paper of use is Kodaks Satin, or their new Pro Luster. I also experiment with other papers. Some require more color adjustments than others. Example: I often have to take out 15 - 30 Red by going to H & S, Red channel with the Kodak paper. Sometimes other minor adjustments are required. I usually have my students buy 2 packs of 8 1/2 x 11 paper each with a different surface to make sure they do experiment a little. Hope you have some fun with this. Best of luck!
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Ric Henry |
Thanks Gary, Sounds like you know what your talking about. I appreciate you responding to the posting. Ric
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- Nanette B. Stephens Contact Nanette B. Stephens Nanette B. Stephens's Gallery |
Hi Ric - I have been studying photography as a result of my husband doing photography work and I really wanted to learn to take my own pictures. I have seen pictures my husband has printed on glossy and I have to agree that they look like plastic or like they have been painted. I really like the Matte paper better, but I am also experimenting with different paper to try and see the differences (a learning thing).
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Kathy L. Pollick |
Michelle, I'm not seeing dolls or windmills, I see a mailslot with colored postcards in it.... but I did notice you changed it. Just couldn't remember what it was before...
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Ric Henry |
Thanks Nanette for responding to this posting. I amazed at all the different responces that this posting has generated. I quess its just personal preference.
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