How do I choose a Paper Type?
Short
It’s important to consider who is going to be using the product and what its purpose is.
Long
We have four print technologies we use for our products. Each one has its own pros and cons and it’s important you weigh up each to select the right print tech for your needs.
Many people think we just have one printer and a bunch of papers. We don't. We have four different ways of creating a print and each one also has different paper options. Print is not just about the paper, but also about the way the image is formed on that paper and how the two relate to each other.
Master Fine Art
Tech: Pigment ink carefully floating on the surface.
Papers: Smooth cotton, Textured cotton, Fibre pearl, Handmade
Weight: 300gsm Colour gamut: * * * * Price point: $ $ $ $
Uses: Framed prints, loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Pros and cons: The most amazing detail and colour gamut available on the market today. Huge paper texture range and very long archival life. However, very delicate print surface and can be scratched or dulled quickly with handling. If you imagine icing sugar on chocolate cake? That's these prints.
Matte Art
Tech: Dye based ink penetrates into the paper surface.
Papers: Matte
Weight: 230gsm Colour gamut: * * * Price point: $ $ $
Uses: Loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Pros and cons: Gorgeous rich colours, good colour gamut and detail. Great price point. Much sturdier print surface than Master Fine Art. However, thin paper and only one paper type available.
Traditional Photo
Tech: Light exposed silver halide paper in a wet process.
Papers: Lustre, Gloss, Metallic
Weight: 180gsm Colour gamut: * * Price point: $ $
Uses: Framed prints, loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Pros and cons: Kodak really got the colour gamut on these prints right, rich colours, good detail. Easy price point. Because of the print tech the surface is very sturdy and can handle heavy handling with less than idea hands. However, thin paper and the distinctive sheen of lustre papers, some people see these as 'real photo prints' - others see them as shiny and gross.
Ephemera
Tech: Electrostatic ink on a digital press.
Papers: Mohawk
Weight: 270gsm Colour gamut: * Price point: $
Uses: Ephemera gift card range only at this time.
Pros and cons: Cheap, can be printed double sided and a print surface that you can't really kill while also relatively matte. We like the Mohawk paper and it's recycled so that's nice too. However, the blacks are washed out, colours are not amazing and the colour gamut is very very small. Detail also isn't great. These are here for a good time not a long time.
