We talk a lot about all the different Grand Rapids weddings we photograph, but once the celebrating has ended, there’s still one more thing to talk about… and that’s getting your wedding photos! All your wedding memories are delivered to you in an online gallery. The gallery is a little bit like Pinterest, and it is filled with retouched, high-resolution digital images. You have full rights to your images, and we encourage you to share them on all your social media channels. But what’s the most important step in our opinion? Printing your wedding photos!
Don’t let those beautiful memories only live on a computer, print out your favorite wedding memories to enjoy every day. You can print your images at the place of your choosing, or you can order through our professional print lab at super-affordable prices.
But when it comes to printing your wedding photos, you have some different options to consider. With so many finish options, how do you know which one to choose? Which is the best finish for your wedding pictures? The four most popular print finishes are matte, gloss, lustre and metallic. Each of these finishes has both advantages and disadvantages depending on what you would like your printed photo to look and feel like. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about the differences between matte, gloss, lustre and metallic finishes.
Printing Your Wedding Photos
Matte Finish
One popular option for photo printing is a matte finish. Printing your wedding photos with a matte finish gives a soft, romantic look. It uses a smooth finish photo paper without any glare. Using a matte finish is good for hanging up images because the texture is similar to paper and looks very professional. You won’t see any reflections off of the pictures once hung.
Gloss
When talking about printing wedding photos, another term you will hear about is “gloss” or “glossy” print. Images with a gloss finish are smooth and crisp. A gloss finish is printed on highly reflective photo paper. But, just like the photo albums of the 80s, a glossy finish to a photograph is easy to smudge. Fingerprints, dust, you name it! Glossy prints are filled with beautiful, rich colors, but sometimes the contrast comes up a little too high, making the images appear darker.
Metallic
Printing your wedding photos with a metallic finish is a newer trend. These photos are printed on a photo paper with a 3D effect that brings out the image with a shimmer. While metallic prints are extremely durable and resist fading, the contrast and light colors can look much brighter. The metallic finish is great for a more artistic image.
Lustre
A lustre finish is the best of all the worlds. It strikes the perfect balance between matte and gloss—not too soft and not too heavy. A luster finish is achieved on a semi-gloss paper with just enough texture to be safe from glare and fingerprints. We love how our light and airy wedding photos print out with a lustre finish!
How to Print Your Wedding Photos
The online gallery that we deliver to our wedding couples has a built-in print lab that offers both matte and lustre prints. This makes it super convenient and easy to order prints directly from the online gallery. We provide a print release with every wedding and engagement session so couples can print their photos anywhere. While you can absolutely print your photos at your local Costco or Walgreen’s, we don’t recommend it. The printers on hand are not always well calibrated, so your pictures may not be true to color. If you would like to order a canvas or anything larger than an 8×10 printed image, we strongly recommend using our print lab.
We firmly believe that your wedding pictures should be cherished for years to come. Whether printed in an album or printed out and hung around your home, make sure your wedding photos can see the light of day. If you’re planning a wedding in Michigan and are looking for wedding photography, please send a message using the contact form. Because of the deep connection we build with our wedding couples, we accept a very limited number of weddings each year. Reach out today!
add a comment
+ comments