Gloss, silk and matt are all terms you’ll come across in the print industry, but what exactly does each one mean?
Here’s a quick guide to what they are and how you might use them:
Gloss is as you would imagine, quite a smooth paper with a shiny/glossy finish, similar to the white gloss paint you would associate with when painting your doors or skirting boards. An example of using a gloss stock would be for magazine printing.
Silk is the next paper down from the gloss stock, it has a semi glossy finish. An example of using a silk stock would be for a company brochure.
Matt is as you would imagine a very flat finish and quite a velvety texture. It can look quite high-end. An example of using a matt stock would be for a business card, or a form that needs to be written on with ease.
All of these papers will come in a complete range of weights from as low as 40gsm which is like a newspaper thickness up to 400/450gsm which you would use a printed folder maybe a high quality business card.
If you need some advice as to which paper you should choose for a project, feel free to drop us a line at AMPLIFY and we’ll be happy to help you!
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