Glossy or Lustre finish?

Coleslaw (e2 Member)

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25 Feb 2012 - 11:27 AM

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I rarely get my photos printed.
But I am in the process of getting some photos printed by lab.
Just wondering what people prefer, glossy or lustre, and why.
Would it be one finish is better for certain genre, and not another?

GarethRobinson

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25 Feb 2012 - 2:43 PM

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Lustre /Matte if framing behind glass for me personally.
Gloss for most other things.

I would get sample prints done of the same subject on different papers, and different subject on different papers and make your own decision.
I think its all a personal thing really.

User_Removed

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25 Feb 2012 - 4:33 PM

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As Cameracat said and OP suspected, it depends very much upon the image. Choosing the paper to use is very much part of the whole photographing/post-processing sequence that leads up to the finished print.

I tend to use cheap glossy paper for "hard-proofing" images but never, ever use it for final prints. If I did eventually want to produce a print that I thought would be enhanced by glossy paper, I would have to go out and buy a packet of decent quality stuff. Meantime, I tend to choose from a number of matt and pearl finishes depending upon subject and treatment.

However, I would hesitate to generalise by suggesting that a particular genre will always be enhanced by a particular paper surface.

The other paper "quality" that is important when deciding which stock to print on is the warmness or coolness of the paper. Remember that (in most home-based printers) there is no white ink - so the whites in the image depend upon the tone of the paper.

User_Removed

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25 Feb 2012 - 7:53 PM

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Quote: As Cameracat said and OP suspected, it depends very much upon the image.

Agree 100%

That said, I too have a preference for a 'Lustre' finish - especially where faces/groups are concerned but...