So you have amazing photos and you’re ordering prints, but when it comes to choosing paper; the decision is daunting! Paper choice will definitely impact the aesthetic of your prints, so let’s take a deeper look at the choices.
Today we’re exploring “photographic” papers: the papers used at Color Services to make photographic prints. These are classic tried-and-true prints such as the ones received when a roll of film is developed or when Express Prints are ordered from our website. The paper is single-sided, light sensitive and processed in chemistry.
All of the photographic papers at Color Services belong to the Fuji Crystal Archive collection. These have long been considered the finest color photographic papers available for permanence and color fidelity. According to print-life expert Henry Wilhelm, they have an expected life of 60 years in normal indoor lighting and over 100 years if stored in the dark or in albums. We offer 4 distinct finishes: matte, lustre, glossy and metallic. Each paper has a different sheen and texture that you can use to your advantage to enhance your work.
Matte is our newest paper. We were excited to add it to our line in March 2016! Matte has no sheen and feels silky smooth. If your prints will be handled, matte doesn’t show smears from fingerprints. For subject matter such as baby photos, portraits and reproductions of vintage photographs, this would be a good fit.
Lustre has been our longstanding favorite. It has a slight texture and slight sheen. Anything will look good on lustre—-color or black & white, contrasty or soft—–so this is always a good place to start. Lustre has a wide color range and rich blacks. It excels at capturing the subtleties in soft-toned wedding images and is flattering to the complexion. Lustre also features a heavier weight than other photos papers. Many wedding photographers won’t use anything else!
Glossy has a classic gloss sheen, so if the shiny look is what you like, you can’t go wrong with this. Glossy looks clear, crisp and will give an image pop. Glossy is popular for real estate, interior design and landscapes.
Metallic paper, our final choice, is something so unique that everyone should give it a try! It has the pearlescent quality of mother-of pearl due to tiny mica crystals embedded in the paper. Metallic paper is super glossy, high saturation and silvery iridescent with a lovely 3D feel. Metallic prints reflect light at different angles and in lower light they can look luminescent. Metallic paper gives life and impact to images. It can really elevate art and we have customers who use it exclusively for their artwork. If you have bold colors that need to stand out, metallic is the ticket! Metallic paper is also beautiful for black and white images.
Armed with this knowledge, I hope you can order with confidence and use our variety of papers to bring out the best in your photos! For an interesting experiment, try getting one of your photos printed on all 4 papers. Most people end up with a personal favorite that they use most of the time—and they use others, as needed, for special projects that would benefit from the features of another finish.
