Inkjet Printing & Glossy Paper?

There are many different types of Glossy Paper suitable for Inkjet printing. Glossy Paper is most commonly used for high-quality prints to make advertisements, flyers, posters and to print photographs. It gives your print that extra something you or your customer could be looking for. With inkjet printing it’s in determining when to use it and how – that many find challenging. Ultimately choosing the right media for your printer entails understanding the different types of Glossy Paper. And yes, there is more than one!

Glossy paper is a coated media with a shiny finish. There are different glossy papers that are suited for different uses (or applications). Most are created using different coating formulations. For that reason, it is important to choose the right media that is compatible with your print technology. There are three main types of paper sheens (or finishes); Gloss, Semi-Gloss (Satin/Luster) and Matte. In this post we are just going to cover High-Gloss and Semi-gloss.

Gloss

Gloss prints have a shiny coating that is highly reflective. While gloss media produces vibrant colors and crisp resolution, it can be difficult to view under bright lights due to glare. Gloss prints are perfect for promotional prints such as flyers or posters. It’s important to consider their viewing environment.

Semi-Gloss

This can be referred to by a few other names such as Satin or Luster, but they all commonly mean the same thing. Semi-Gloss is a softer sheen that is halfway between Gloss and Matte. While it produces vibrant prints, it can appear less sharp than the gloss. The advantage of semi-gloss is that it is easier to view under bright lights because it doesn’t have the same high reflective shine as gloss. Currently, semi-gloss is most popularly used for printing photographs.

Choosing the right media for your application is often a matter of preference and viewing conditions. Semi-gloss provides the most image flexibility allowing it to be displayed in various light environments. And while gloss is liked by many, it requires precise conditions for it to be viewed at its fullest potential.

Which media will work with your Inkjet printer?

Just like how there is more than one type of Glossy Paper, there is also more than one type of Inkjet printer, and they don’t all use the same type of ink. Each inkjet printer depending on their ink type, preforms differently on different medias due to the different types of coatings used. It’s important to know the ink type of the printer to be able to choose the right product that is compatible with your printer. The best way to find out a products ink type compatibility is to look at the products spec sheet.

Take a look at some of our products directly at my.dietzgen.com/magic-1

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