Lamination makes any printed material more durable, offering a strong protective layer. When it comes to choosing the right one, can be difficult, especially if you’re not aware of the differences. 

In this article, we’ll dive into the differences between matte and glossy lamination while including some tips on choosing the right one for you! 

Types of Paper Lamination

Let’s talk about the different types of paper lamination! Though there are many types of lamination, the most common types are matte, glossy and soft touch. 

Matte Lamination 

Matte lamination offers any printed materials a smooth, dull and non-reflective finish. Thus, there won’t be any glares or fingerprints, offering a professional and clean appearance. Matte lamination is also great for black-and-white photos or prints. 

Gloss Lamination 

With gloss lamination, the printed materials will have a reflective, glossy and shiny finish. This makes the text and colours appear to be vibrant and makes them pop. However, you can expect glares and reflections when under sunlight and smudges or fingerprints. 

Soft Touch Lamination

Soft touch lamination offers a velvet texture, making printed materials appear luxurious. Upon touching the printed materials, it’ll feel silky and soft. This lamination is almost similar to matte lamination, except the former offers more depth. 

Now, we’ll dive into learning the difference between glossy and matte lamination! 

Differences Between Matte vs Glossy Lamination

If you’re planning on getting some materials printed, you might be wondering about the main differences between matte vs glossy lamination. Below, we explain what differs between the two!

1. Texture

The texture of matte lamination is soft and velvety whereas glossy lamination is more towards a glossy and reflective texture. Both laminations offer a smooth texture. 

With matte lamination, the texture prevents smudges or any form of prints on them.

Glossy lamination may only be ideal if it needs to be handled infrequently as the texture of glossy lamination causes smudges, oil prints or fingerprints. 

2. Finish 

As for matte finish, it offers a velvety, non-reflective finish, meaning it doesn’t cause any glares. This results in a more sophisticated appearance.  

The glossy finish, on the other hand, has a reflective, shiny finish. However, there will be glares since it’s reflective. 

3. Visibility 

Since matte lamination doesn’t cause glares or reflections, the text or images are much easier to read, even when exposed to sunlight. But the downside is that the colours would appear to be more dull due to the lack of saturation and depth of the colours. 

Glossy lamination enhances the colours as well as text to appear more vibrant and bold. But when exposed to sunlight, it’ll have glares or reflections, making it hard to read the text. Besides that, it can’t be seen clearly based on different viewpoints. 

4. Purpose 

For matte lamination, it’s mostly used for sophisticated printed materials such as business cards, or photo albums. Most business projects make use of matte lamination as well.

As for glossy lamination, since it makes the colours and texts more vibrant, it’s often used for brochures, posters, family portraits or wedding photography. 

Tip: Don’t forget to factor in the paperweight upon adding the right lamination. This is because heavier paperweight enhances the quality of the printed materials while offering stronger durability and a more luxurious texture.  

Which material should you choose?

There are several factors to consider before choosing matte vs glossy lamination: 

When choosing photos

When you compare glossy vs matte for photos, it depends on what kind of photos you’ll be printing out. For instance, if you plan on printing wedding, nature or portrait photos, then glossy lamination would be perfect! But if you plan on printing photos such as for photo books or albums, matte lamination is the way to go. 

When choosing other print materials

When it comes to matte vs glossy paper, matte lamination will be great for printing materials such as book covers, business cards and any form of high-end packaging. But if you wish to print marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and product labels, you should go for glossy lamination.

When choosing the type of aesthetic 

If you’re looking for a more classical look, then matte lamination would be the best choice. However, if you wish to have a more vibrant look, you’ll be satisfied with glossy lamination. 

Conclusion

Now that you’ve gained a better understanding of matte vs glossy, you can make the right decision for your printed materials! If you’re looking for a place to get your lamination done or require any printing service, consider using Gogoprint for all your printing and lamination needs!