When it comes to printing photos, the question you’ll hear the most often is what type of paper finish offers better results: glossy or lustre? To help you pick the winner in the glossy vs lustre photos battle, this post provides a detailed overview of the two paper types, examines the key distinctions between them, and mentions their main strengths and weaknesses. Learn what type shouldn’t be framed under any circumstances and which paper type offers more vibrant and bright colors below.
As evident from the name, glossy photo paper infuses each photograph with a high dose of shine. For a lot of photo printing services and local photography processing labs, glossy finishing is the standard option. It’s also the most widely used paper type for everyday photo printing if you plan to simply keep the picture in a memory book or stick it to the fridge.
The main advantage this paper type has in the glossy vs lustre photos battle is the added shine that makes the colors more vibrant and eye-catching, often allowing you to make up for the small flaws of the photo itself. The shimmer offered by glossy pictures makes them inherently showier and the superior choice when it comes to creating photo cards and other print materials that need to leave a lasting impression.
The current market offers an array of distinct glossy finishing options. Some paper products and photo printers provide all kinds of variations from soft gloss to normal and intense gloss. If you have such an opportunity, consider trying out different options to determine the perfect amount of gloss for your taste and needs. Glossy pictures are relatively cheap to produce particularly if you stick to standard photo sizes for printing like 4×6.
Even though they’re incredibly popular, glossy photos also come with a fair share of drawbacks. For starters, glossy pictures are more susceptible to scratches and fingerprints. Another serious flaw is the unnecessary glare that is created when looking at such a photo from an angle.
Lustre photo paper represents a mix of two kinds of photo paper: glossy and matte. The main purpose of this type of finishing is to offer the advantages of both options. The matte base is enhanced with a hint of gloss that allows showcasing the details and colors in the picture better.
Meanwhile, the matte surface makes such photos more resistant to fingertips and glare. Another benefit of lustre finishing is its refined texture that adds a unique, upscale feel to the photo. If you look at the picture from up-close and an angle, you'll notice minuscule "bubbles".
Those “bubbles” produce the texture that makes lustre a closer type to matte rather than glossy. This texture is also the main reason why many people go with lustre when printing their wedding photographs or family portraits. However, you should keep in mind that the added texture leads to the same drawback that matte photos suffer from, meaning the colors aren’t as vibrant and you also inevitably lose a bit of detail compared to a glossy finish. On the other hand, if you’re a fan of a more toned-down color palette, that isn’t a drawback at all but rather another benefit.
The key distinction between the participants of the lustre finish vs. glossy printer paper battle is reflectivity. Glossy pictures offer a great amount of shine while lustre photos are only semi-shiny. If you place a glossy picture under a glass frame, the amount of produced glare will be doubled, making it extremely hard to view the photo. Thus, if you want to put your photos in a glass frame, lustre seems to be the optimal choice. It’s also worth noting that while glossy pictures offer more saturated colors, lustre finishing allows you to preserve natural skin tones better.
Glossy is the most widely used finish type in the world. Its shimmery surface, vibrant colors, and forgiving nature make it a great choice for any beginner photographer. It’s a particularly nice fit for pictures that value color saturation like landscapes or child portraits.
Printing a photo on glossy paper is a good idea if you want to maintain as much sharpness and detail as possible. Such pictures are also a reasonable option for everyday photographs and personal use. However, if you want to show your photos at an exhibition or sell them as a professional, then it’s highly recommended you check out other finishing types.
Lustre finish tends to add a premium feel to printed photos. Its subtle texture ensures such pictures look more like works of art while also making them less prone to getting covered with fingerprints, smudges, and scratches. Meanwhile, a glossy finish can get stained in a blink of an eye. Lustre is a great choice for professionals as well as people who want to frame their photos under glass.
During the process of studying how to print photography, you’ll discover that the finishing can have a tremendous impact on its visual appearance. It also affects its durability, susceptibility to blemishes, recommended type of framing, etc. Below, you'll find information on other finishing options that aren't a part of the lustre print vs glossy battle.
Matte finish paper lies on the opposite side of the spectrum in regards to glossy photos. Its shine properties are entirely non-existent. Due to the absence of pricy coating, matte printing services tend to be cheaper than all the other alternatives.
If you go with matte printing, you'll never have to suffer from the glare that is common for glossy pictures. On the other hand, matte photos may come across as somewhat flat or muted. Which is an issue for some but at the same time makes it the perfect option for scrapbooking. Lots of professional photographers opt for such a finish when printing their work. They like matte prints because of how subtle tone effects emphasize specific details and how well they lend themselves to black and white photography.
Metallic photo paper offers exactly what you’d expect from reading its name. Such pictures possess a metallic, 3D-like quality that makes them immediately more eye-catching compared to such finishes as pearl or glossy. Metallic photography paper is sturdy, doesn't get stained easily, and has a pearl-like sheen. This is the optimal option for photos with an abundance of colors, as this coating helps emphasize the contrast between the highlights and the shadows.
For many individuals, a satin paper finish offers the perfect mix between matte and glossy. It has a bit of shine but isn’t as prone to glares. That’s why satin is probably the best alternative to lustre if you’re looking to frame your printed photos under glass.
Some reputable photographers believe that satin finishing is ideal for emphasizing bright whites, yellows, and oranges given the provided hint of brightness. On the other hand, it’s often not advised to print photos with a darker color palette with a satin finish. However, if you have a vibrant, colorful photo but don’t like the pure glossy look, you can’t go wrong with a satin coating.
Pearl paper finish bears a strong semblance to satin coating. That said, photos with this finish type offer a higher degree of glossiness compared to satin. Additionally, pearl paper pictures tend to have a subtle texture that is missing in its counterpart. The mix of a subtle sheen and a bit of texture can add an artistic, professional feel to your most highly valued photos. Due to the significantly less reflective surface of pearl finishing, such photos look great even when framed under glass and viewed from an angle, which isn’t the case with glossy pictures.
Glossy photos aren’t a good match for glass frames. They are already prone to glare and the glass surface only serves to further escalate that issue. Moreover, glossy pictures tend to stick to the glass, which can make them look like they have some oily residue on them, which isn’t the look you want.
If you’re going to frame the picture behind glass, there’s no point picking anything other than a matte finish. Such pictures don’t stick to the frame, aren’t as reflective, and can be comfortably viewed from any angle.
In terms of pure quality, glossy paper tends to provide higher image clarity and level of detail than a lustre finish. That said, if the reason why you’re printing the photo is to put it under a glass frame, the higher picture quality of a glossy finish won’t do you any good since you won’t be able to see anything because of the created glare.
If you’re stuck choosing between matte vs glossy photos, you can’t go wrong with a lustre finish, as it offers the benefits of both types. You get to enjoy the vibrant colors of a glossy finish and the subtle texture and smudge resistance offered by matte paper. You can frame a lustre photo under glass or put it into an album and it will look great either way.
Superfine paper is a classic, textured matte paper that is completely void of any sheen, which is why it's often called "eggshell." Meanwhile, lustre paper has a bit of shine to it and is noticeably smoother.
