Paper Samples and Decision
I decided to go with Deadly Digital for printing my graded unit finals, as it is a company which is trusted by the college and lecturers, and they spend a lot of time and effort on every customer. I made a trip across to Partick to visit Deadly to ask for some samples of all papers which they have available to students, in order to make a decision on what finish my final images should be printed onto. I have sat, examining and evaluating each one in turn to determine which would work best.
Deadly did not give me a sample of their glossy paper as they said that everyone knows what glossy looks like, which is true. Glossy is a classic finish for prints, but I personally dislike the shine. I had already decided earlier on in this project anyhow, that glossy would not suit the style of my photographs. The first sample I was drawn to was Museum. It is a really thick paper, it is rough in texture, and also has a very matte finish. As my theme is quite fine art related, an artistic paper would be a good choice to print on. However, with the paper being quite expensive, I do not think it is an affordable option to print 20 images on.Â
The next paper I looked at was Omega, which is a lighter and smoother paper compared to Museum. It’s soft texture gives it a slight matte finish but it has a slight shine to it. To me, it feels similar to regular card you would buy from a shop, and so I’m not sure I would want to print my images onto it.
Pearl is similar in many ways to Omega, with weight and texture, however it reflects the light more which I am not keen on. I think my photographs would suit something with a matte finish. The paper also seems to curl round a lot, which would be a nightmare of putting my prints into a portfolio box.
Gold Silk is what I picked up next. It is what I decided to printed my folio 2 prints on. It has a semi-gloss effect and is a sturdy paper. However, I dislike this paper because I noticed the paper gets scratched very easily, and because I will invest a lot of money into my graded unit prints, that is not what I wish to happen.
Lustre and Titanium have an almost identical feel, with both being rather glossy and quite thin papers. However, titanium has a unique metallic shine to it, which I feel would catch light in an interesting way, but perhaps it’s not what I am looking for in my final images, which I want to be smooth, bright and with a matte finish.
Finally, I am left with 240 Matte. I think this paper has a lovely thickness, and has the smooth finish I was after, with no shine reflecting harsh light. I feel it will hold my images well, and will help to maintain the deeper colours in of my images, such as that of the sky. This paper is also far more affordable for me than the others. I will therefore get all 20 images printed on this paper.
