Matt is the New Black

There is a new craze working its way across the country – the love of all things matt. This is particularly so for things that are normally associated as being glossy, like cars, paintwork, phones etc. In the printing world matt paper has been around for eons, but it terms of use it is generally the one left waiting for a dance partner as people gravitate towards the fancier silk and gloss materials, or the earthy goodness of the uncoated and recycled finishes.  So what exactly can matt papers bring to the table, and is it time for them to step out of the shadows and on the dance floor?

Firstly, there is a misconception as to what matt (matte) paper actually is. Many people think matt paper has an uncoated finish like our recycled, pulpy papers but this is incorrect. Matt papers are actually a coated material – exactly like the silk and gloss papers. It is made in exactly the same way, the only difference being that amount of coating that the paper has.  All coated papers are made by having a special coating added to the surface of the paper. The paper can then be smoothed to create a ‘polished’ finish. The more smoothing and polishing the greater the shine on the paper, creating silk and gloss finishes. Matt papers are the ones created after the first coating is applied, with minimal additional smoothing.

Why matt paper make great printed brochures

Matt papers are a great cross over from uncoated to coated materials. They have the benefit of creating more subdued designs that silk/gloss, but without any of the loss of colour that you get with uncoated. Consequently they are good for producing large areas of text such as magazines and brochures, as there is less glare and reflection on the page. 

In summary, coated papers have a matt, silk or gloss finish created by the addition of a smooth coat to the raw paper. Uncoated paper, like recycled, has not had any coating applied and has a textured and absorbent finish. 

At A Local Printer we offer uncoated (recycled) and coated silk and gloss papers on our website, but if your interest has been piqued and matt paper sounds appealing to you just get in touch and we can sort out some unprinted samples for you to get to grips with.