Understanding the Value of Printing in a Digital World

If you are working at a company, chances are good that you are going to need to print photos out for a display that you are showing to a client, a display at a trade show, or a some sort of project analysis. There are two main types of photo paper that you have available to you. The first is matte photos, which tend to be slightly less shiny than the photos that you print at a convenience store. The second is high-gloss photos, which are photos that have a high level of shine and a thicker finish. In many cases, the photo paper that you choose for your presentation could make or break your level of success. Here are some scenarios where you would need to choose between matte photos and high-gloss photos.

1. If the Photos Are Going to Be Touched

If you are at a trade show and have books of your company's designs or finished products, you are going to need high quality photos that are able to stand up to people touching them all day. This is critical because if you don't get photos that can stand up to being touched, your photo book is not going to look as good after the first few hours and can lead to decreased sales during the last few hours of the trade show. For more durable photos that people are going to be touching, you want to choose a matte finish. Matte photos tend to be more durable and more resistant to fingerprints, rather than high gloss photos. However, matte photos tend to be a lower quality image and not as sharp, so you are going to have to decide whether it is worth paying the extra money to protect the higher resolution high gloss photos or go with matte photos.

2. If the Photos Are Going to Be on Display and Scrutinized

If you are going to have photos on display and scrutinized by customers who need a clear image to make a final decision about your product, you will want to use high-gloss photos. High-gloss photos have a sharper image and will be better looking than the matte photos, although not as durable. Make sure that you protect the high gloss photos behind a pane of glass or use some other protective measure in order to be sure that they continue to look great.

For more information, talk to a company such as Refill Ink that specializes in high-gloss photo paper.