GLOSS or MATTE? Which Do You Prefer?

[Sven]

I'm talking specifically about unlaminated, printed vinyl but also the over-laminate. Gloss prints seems to "pop" more, but matte prints I think have a nicer look to them--they don't look as cheap.
Thanks

 

[2B]

depends on the situation

indoors / lots of lights then matte, keeps the glare down.

gloss is more for the vivid colors, ie that's why photos are typically done in glass



personally Matte is the preferred finish

 

[graphicwarning]

Matte vinyl prints much nicer - and by nicer I mean it shows defects a lot less. When printing on gloss vinyl all it takes is one little spec of dust and it creates a big ugly flaw. I find I can print matte vinyl using much faster settings on our Roland too, where as gloss "pools" a lot more when printing at higher speeds.

+1

And since I laminate nearly everything, if I need gloss... I simply apply the gloss laminate.

On top of that, I use 210 and 290 laminates... and it's so much easier to apply using the big squeegee, with Matte vinyl.

 

[Sven]

+1
On top of that, I use 210 and 290 laminates... and it's so much easier to apply using the big squeegee, with Matte vinyl.

Graphicwarning, can I get away with a BIG SQUEEGEE and no laminating machine? I just got my first digital printer, and I'm trying to not spend a lot of money on more equipment--at least right away.

 

[graphicwarning]

You know... I have a 30" machine currently, and I love my big squeegee for laminating and taping. I find myself wanting a laminator for longer run stuff... but overall I love the big squeegee. Even if I had a laminator for the longer run prints, I'd still stick with the big squeegee on everything else.

And when I say longer run, my space is limited, and I am limited to the length of my work table. Thats not to say I can't do 20 or 30 foot prints with the BS, but I feel as though I'd rather run it through a laminator than move the media the length of the table several times on a long print.

Overall though... I don't think I could live without the Big Squeegee now that I have used one! Other can comment on working with the BS on wider materials.

 

[synergy_jim]

there is no substitute for a laminating machine. Unless you do really small stuff all the time… I'll sell you my big squeegee.

 

[DesireeM]

Same here..depends on the application. We laminate almost everything and I commonly use a luster laminate. It's a happy medium between gloss and matte for our large outdoor advertising and backlit signs. That way it doesn't look unfinished and has a bit of sheen without glare. I use it for most of our indoor decals as well as a default. However anything that is an indoor display like a pull-up banner is always matte. I also prefer to use matte scrim banner material no matter what. I find gloss looks cheap and shows more flaws over time on banners.
Vehicle graphics are always gloss. Unless the customer specifically wants a matte finish but I think that's more of a trend than anything.

It's easy to decide on the finish if you consider the sign's purpose.

Vehicles are glossy so vehicle wraps are glossy. Pull up banners are usually under lighting so matte is preferred to reduce glare. Billboards are out in the sun so glare would be bad there too.

If you've considered the function and discovered that either finish would be acceptable then you would consider the artistic implications.
Matte has a more modern, serious feel. Gloss makes things pop and has a more playful feel.

 

[MikePro]

matte is my preferance, for overall use, it also hides wear/tear & imperfections in the print quality much better and doesn't leave as many noticeable scuffs when applied in a hurry.

always gloss for reflectives, as matte seems to dull the effect a bit.

 

[synergy_jim]

matte indoor / gloss outdoor.

That being said, I did print on oracal matte vinyl one time because I liked the saturation. I then laminated with gloss over lam and stuck on a semi truck. The over lam began to peel. I can only assume that matt vinyl has a less energetic done with the over lam. I have never had that issue when bonding gloss to gloss.

 

[ColoPrinthead]

I like Matte with a Matte or Lustre OL.

 

[Design it Graphics]

matte indoor / gloss outdoor.

That being said, I did print on oracal matte vinyl one time because I liked the saturation. I then laminated with gloss over lam and stuck on a semi truck. The over lam began to peel. I can only assume that matt vinyl has a less energetic done with the over lam. I have never had that issue when bonding gloss to gloss.

Learned something about this the other day, I'm sure its not nearly an issue as it is with solid color wrap film, But the surface of Matte vinyl is not a perfect flat, it has little bumps to make the light reflect in such a way that causes it to create what we call matte.

In the training the trainer asked us if we had ever had a seam under minor pressure for matte films as the under layer fail (door handles etc). Showed us a glossing technique to where we basically heat the vinyl up and glaze the top coat for the under part of the seam to ensure a solid bond.

Again, I'm uncertain as to this affect during the lamination process but I'm sure to a degree the lb/sq inch of adhesion is a bit lower for laminating onto matte than that of gloss.

 

[danno]

We use IJ180cV3-10 with 8518 from 3M. It does good for us, but our printers like the -20 finish (matte). I keep asking 3M when they are going to produce an IJ180cV3-20. The combination of IJ40c-20R and the 8518 has an outstanding pop to it.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

I prefer printing on matte and if my customer wants it glossy I print on matte and laminate with gloss, you get the best of both worlds.

 

[Mosh]

I do both but find I use about twice as much matte.

 

[danno]

This actually got me excited. I feel like a vinyl nerd now lol....

I think we just need to keep working on them. I ask them about once a quarter where they stand on it.

 

[Jacob]

Matte Indoor Gloss outdoor. It also depends on the printer with my Eco solvent I have problems with the ink not sticking to the gloss when printing in high speed.