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Printing my portfolio on glossy vs matte paper taught me a hard lesson
I had 50 copies of my portfolio printed on glossy paper because it looked vibrant on screen, but under the shop lights everything turned into a mirror and nobody could read the captions. Switched to a matte stock for the next batch and suddenly the colors looked flat and dull compared to what I designed. Has anyone found a paper type that gives you the best of both worlds without the compromise?
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betty_shah9h ago
Oh man, that's such a bummer... I've been there with prints and it's worse than it sounds because you put all that work in and then the final product just doesn't look right. Glossy is a nightmare under any kind of overhead light, I swear it's like trying to read through a window. And matte losing all the pop is real too, the blacks just turn to gray mush sometimes. Have you tried a satin or semi-gloss finish... it's sort of the middle ground that keeps some richness without turning into a mirror. It's not perfect but it's the closest I've found without buying five different test batches first.
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patricia3853h ago
Satin worked best for my photos once I stopped chasing that high gloss look.
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Satin or silk finish is your middle ground. Have you tried a luster paper?
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