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Choosing Photo Paper for Photography Printing

Choosing Photo Paper for Photography Printing

Jul 21st 2021

Digital photography has vastly evolved in the contemporary world, now utilizing different platforms in social media applications, sites, and businesses. Some people even use this as a means of income, especially when they have the necessary materials and skills, while the others, who are still amateurs in terms of photography, take their time in understanding its core principles and learn through the experiences they make, which can sometimes be guided by professionals.

Digital photography is also taught at schools in the Arts subject and campus journalism. The students’ skills elevate the more they learn, use, and adopt the lessons. For instance, the teacher or the school paper’s adviser (SPA) asks his student to take a shot of something that depicts poverty, the learner’s mind then automatically processes what situations could he used and how could he take a commendable shot, further developing his creativity.

“If you give people tools, and they use their natural abilities and their curiosity, they will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you might have expected.” — Bill Gates

Luster Photo Paper – Most of the time, it is defined as a “semi-gloss paper” since it is made of a minimal quantity of glares that are nowhere near the amount a glossy and matte photo paper has. That characteristic makes it convenient, especially when the photo is observed in certain lighting conditions. Moreover, its texture also causes the fingerprint marks to be less visible, improving the paper’s durability.

At first sight, this paper may resemble a pearl photo paper while its printing quality matches a satin’s. A luster photo paper produces brilliant colors, keen details, and smooth tones, which justifies the term “unique,” although its quality sometimes differs depending on the suppliers. It is best used in wedding invitations, portraits, Instagram pictures, and family pictures.

Glossy Photo Paper – This type of photo paper offers you a shinier, smoother, and more refined appearance of the image. In terms of manufacturing, the glossy paper has the same components as matte photo papers. They only differ in the gloss finish, vibrant effects, and glares. Moreover, a glossy photo paper has a broad and saturated color range and texture, which makes the hues in your output pop because of its radiance, making it seem like a photo with higher contrast. It is intended to create a sharp-looking image that is somehow near to what a traditional photograph looks like.

Unlike luster photo paper, glossy photo paper is more prone to fingerprints because of its glares, but you should not worry about that since the fingerprints can be wiped away. It is best used for streets and landscape photographs, portfolios, and Instagram photos.

Matte Photo Paper – It is a commercial term used to identify a multitude of Inkjet high-resolution matte papers. As aforementioned, it has the same components with a glossy photo paper but matte photo paper has an inkjet receiving layer as its coat. That coat ensures the proper distribution of the inkjet printer’s ink droplet without wastes due to unintended bleeding. This type of photo paper produces a pleasant and fresh image but is still somewhere far from the level of an actual photo paper. It is best used in art and still life photographs, graphic designs, portraits, landscapes, and architecture.

Deep Matte Photo Paper – This type of photo paper offers you an exceptional visual quality output by providing you with professional and extraordinary digitally printed photographs. It has a rich reproduction range of high saturated colors that are clear, distinct, and sharp. Furthermore, its lusterless texture generates commendable images while having an abundant amount of silver halide image stability. Hence, the output radiates a mild yet elegant aura that is perfect for black and white printouts, photographs with a pastel color, still life, and natural light photographs.

Silk Photo Paper – This photo paper has an archaic touch and is perfect for throwback photographs harboring a lot of memories, because of the aura its output produces. Its texture is in-between a glossy and a matte photo paper since its surface gleams but not as much as a glossy photo paper does, while the output’s texts are as readable as matte’s. Additionally, it heightens the images and makes them more vivid, sharper, and vibrant through its vast tonal range. It also resists fingerprints because of the soft and smooth texture. This type of paper is commonly used in posters, brochures, leaflets, portraits, family pictures, and wedding photographs.

Metallic Photo Paper – This type of photo paper is known for its luminescent quality that makes it seem like the photo is printed to a metal. It makes the images more brilliant, saturated, and sharper to the point that it somehow looks real due to the enhanced abundance of colors and tones. Moreover, its printouts also dry up easily, which makes it convenient for everyday usage, plus the fact that its surface is scratch-free, further increasing the durability.

Metallic photo papers are also known to engross light, which is more likely the reason why they radiate more under surfaces with direct light. This type of photo paper is best used on portraits, landscapes, nature and water photos, commercial display prints, sun-kissed and reflection photography, black and white photography, and street photography.

Now that you know the different classifications of photo papers and their best uses, you can now choose which to use and print like a pro! Just bear in mind that the paper’s quality also differs, depending on the manufacturer.