Glossy Paper VS. Matte Paper

Whether you’re printing postcards, brochures, or even membership cards, the question has probably come up in your mind: Should I use glossy paper or matte paper? It’s hard to say definitively which you should use, but there are a few points that can help you make that decision.

Your Printer

One of the key decision points is what type of printer you have available. If you have a laser printer, you can usually choose either, but it takes a special type of glossy paper to be able to print glossy with inkjet.

Inkjet, however, does tend to print more detailed images. If your design is detail oriented and your inkjet printer requires special inkjet glossy paper, you might want to lean toward using matte paper.

Now let’s take a look at some of the features of both types of paper to figure out which would suite your needs better.

Glossy Paper

Shiny Coating

As the name “glossy paper” suggests, this paper is special in the sense that it has a shiny finish that usually reflects some light. Many photographs are printed out on glossy paper in stores. A lot of marketing pieces are also printed on glossy paper to try to catch the attention of their prospects.

Slick

Not only does the glossy coating give the paper a shiny appearance, it also makes the paper slick to the touch. Because of this slickness, some printers may have trouble picking up the paper and/or printing on it. Even though laser printers are able to print on glossy paper, if the paper gets run through the printer too quickly it can cause the toner to not stick to the paper. An easy solution to this is telling the printer that the paper is thicker than it really is so that the printer runs the paper through slower, giving the toner time to dry.

Eye Catching

Since most papers aren’t glossy, using glossy paper can make your piece stand out against the crowd. However, this does depend on what you’re printing! If you’re printing pictures, using glossy paper won’t make you stand out because most pictures are printed on glossy paper. Sending out postcard mailers? Glossy paper might just catch a few eyes since most postcard mailers aren’t glossy.

Matte Paper

Flat Coat

Most papers are matte paper, meaning they’re not glossy. While matte is the most common type of paper, there are many types of matte paper. Postcards are made of a heavier, card stock matte paper while sticky-notes are made from a much thinner matte paper.

Has More Texture

While glossy papers are slick, matte papers have more texture. Printers generally have an easier time picking up and printing on matte paper since it has more texture, or “tooth.” Neither inkjet nor laser have trouble printing on matte paper (unless the paper is labeled for use with inkjet or laser only).

Can Have Soft Texture

Just because matte paper has a texture to it doesn’t mean that it’s rough! There are many different “grades” or “weights” of matte paper and some of them can be quite soft! Matte paper that youd print your resume or wedding invitations on would be a lot softer than something a warehouse would use to print product inventory information on.

Summary

So let’s sum this up in a couple of quick points:

Use glossy when:

• Your competition uses matte
• You’re not using an inkjet
• You want the printed piece to “shine”

Use matte when:

• Your competition uses glossy (usually)
• You’re not sure what type of printer you’ll use
• You want a soft, not slick, feel to the paper

What other reasons would make you choose glossy over matte or matte over glossy?

Image: ramblinbears

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