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  Better for signing: glossy or matte photos?

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Author Topic:   Better for signing: glossy or matte photos?
BobbyA
Member

Posts: 147
From: Northern Virginia
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-05-2008 12:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for BobbyA   Click Here to Email BobbyA     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am going to buy some photos to get signed and I was wondering what was better for autographs Glossy or Matte photos?

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 06-05-2008 12:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Personally I prefer glossy. I trained many... many years ago as a photographer and always found that matte prints looked a tad flat. Sharpies take to glossy just fine.

The down side is glossy can get finger prints on them if you are not careful but the guy I buy my prints from sends them in a plastic sleeve; I simply cut windows in the sleeve allowing easy trouble free handling at signings.

Regards,

Rick

mjanovec
Member

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 06-05-2008 04:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It all comes down to personal preference in the end. Neither option is incorrect.

I personally prefer matte photos, because they tend to hide fingerprints better and, in my opinion, look a bit nicer than high gloss prints (with less glare from the print). But there is a range of matte finish types out there...some of which look nicer than others.

Perhaps the best advice I can give is to get a couple of the same images printed in both matte and glossy in order to compare them side by side. Test them out with sharpies and handle them to see how they pick up fingerprints.

Dennis Beatty
Member

Posts: 356
From:
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-09-2008 12:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dennis Beatty   Click Here to Email Dennis Beatty     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's merely my own theory, but I believe that the ink is less likely to fade on a matte photo as the ink will adhere to the coarse surface...and will be "trapped" in the texture of the photo.

Dennis

Rob Joyner
Member

Posts: 1308
From: GA, USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 06-09-2008 08:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rob Joyner   Click Here to Email Rob Joyner     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I get matte whenever possible. Not only does the finish help subdue light glares but also gets rid of reflective mirror images.

SPACEKID
Member

Posts: 59
From: UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 06-12-2008 12:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SPACEKID   Click Here to Email SPACEKID     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Glossy photographs have a higher contrast ratio than matte.

This means blacks look darker and whites look whiter. However the downside is the unwanted reflections.

Steve.

All times are CT (US)

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