When to choose coatings
Adding a coating makes a really big impact on the look and feel of your print product, so watch closely. Coated papers have china clay or other synthetic coating applied onto them. It comes in a variety of techtures, like matte, semi-matte or silk, and gloss. MPress has a unique matte coating with a soft, velvety feel to it, called Soft Touch.
Matte finishes, including Soft Touch coating, are not really meant for photograph heavy layout or robust text. However, glossy, silk and semi-matte are great for it. Due to the paper quality, much of the ink doesn't get absorbed by the paper fibers and ends up staying on the surface. This makes the colors pop and the paper shine.
If you have a lot of type to print, choose a natural, matte paper. Uncoated papers allow for better, deeper ink absorption. You will not end up with so much shine and reflection of overhead light, that the type becomes difficult to read.
Coated papers are best for:
- Photographic images
- Illustrative design
- Colors that should pop
Uncoated papers are best for:
- Booklets
- Magazines
- Catalogs & Guides
You've probably already noticed that there are many work arounds for any issue arising from the use of coated or uncoated paper. One example is that you may use a gloss coated paper to print on and then give a matte UV coating, so that the graphics and colors do not become too blurry or muted by the matte finish.
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