Whats the difference between matte glossy, and pearl finishes?

Im taking a darkroom photography course and on the supplies list its to get the printing paper. and iit says "whichever you prefer: matte, glossy, pearl, ect."
problem being i don't know what they mean, only the glossy one. Help?

deathtokyler2010-06-27T20:04:11Z

Favorite Answer

Matte means there is no shine, like card stock. Glossy means that it is glossy, in the same way that photos you would get developed at a store would be. Pearl is almost like what the pages inside a magazine look like, pearl is shiny but not reflective really.
Matte creates really different effect on your photos, and will be different from the class. I particularly like it.
Glossy helps create contrast, and will be what most people are using. If you're worried about it, just pick up glossy, you'll probably be happier with it.
Pearl, while being like the inside of a magazine, is still thick. Sometimes it's cheaper than glossy, but is also not carried everywhere.

whitaker2016-10-01T01:10:03Z

Define Glossy

Anonymous2016-04-12T19:44:31Z

A glossy finish will have just that a very glossy and/or shiny look. Whereas a matte finish will look very dull and void of any shininess. Generally, it depends on what type of photos you are doing. Black and white look great with a matte finish and high quality color photos look awesome with a glossy appeal. It's up to you and you preference.

Anonymous2010-06-27T20:01:02Z

Matte is dull, not shiny, like "flat" paint, Glossy is shiny, and Pearl is somewhere between the two.

If you're working in black & white, go for Glossy, it looks bright and crisp and it's the most common surface used for commercial printing, while the Matte and Pearl are more for, like, weddings and portraits.

Good luck!... ☺

?2016-04-21T17:47:38Z

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