I like glossy for everything.
I like glossy for everything.
A friend made some 15"x15" prints on Portriga Rapid 118, a matt surface. Images of native buildings in Chaco Canyon. The black windows of the dwellings visually sunk into the paper...quite stunning. I prefer glossy, but as Drew said, sometimes an image calls for matte.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Well, Vaughn, your carbon prints show the best of both worlds, with that intricate 3d relief.
With the more matte you use, it looses apparent Dmax as the surface reflects an even haze you have to look through to see the image...
But matte is good for large poster sized unmounted prints as slight waves on it don't reflect harder stray highlights on surface as much...
Glossy can have greater apparent depth below the surface if done right, and less in between the viewer's eye and the image...
Glossy air dried to slight matte works for me...
Steve K
I'm a fan of semi matt and semi gloss. Go figure.
Principal Unix System Engineer, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems
Even RC glossy has its uses where it really shines -- close up of chrome on a motorbike. Neon reflected in the rain-splattered street. That sort of thing...perhaps someone dressed in shiny black leather...
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Think about supergloss on polyester base rather than paper. It would be hell to display without secondary reflections, and you would need an ultra-smooth cold-mount substrate, but ... Ilford once did an experimental MGIV run on Ciba base, but apparently never marketed it. I often use Fuji Supergloss for color printing, just like I formerly used Ciba. The depth and richness can really be the cat's meow for some images, but certainly not for all.
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