Paper is available in a range of coatings, weights and finishes, with various options offered by printing companies depending on their paper suppliers and printing equipment.
Coating is applied as part of the paper manufacturing process and has an impact on how the paper interacts with inks. In China domestic printing market, there are three commonly chosen options, which are glossy art paper, matte art paper and woodfree paper (also known as offset paper and uncoated paper). Just as their names imply, glossy art paper has a shine coating and the print outcome can be reflective. Matte art paper provides a semi-gloss finish and the reflection of print is less than gloss coating. Woodfree/offset paper has no coating applied. It has a rough surface that is tactile and well-suited for projects that require writing.
Below are examples of print outcomes on different paper:
(Print on gloss art paper)
(Print on matte art paper)
(Print on woodfree paper)
