PAPER SURFACES

There are two major categories of paper defined by surface finish

• coated
• uncoated

Both are available in either book or cover weights.

Coated paper can be further subdivided into a variety of surface finishes including...

• gloss
• matte
• silk
• dull

This article will focus on coated paper with a gloss finish - the type most commonly used.

For decades, glossy paper was made using a white clay called kaolin (named after the Chinese region Kao-Ling where it was mined to produce porcelain). The clay is used to fill the spaces between the fibers in the paper and to coat the paper so that it will have a smooth surface. This makes the paper more suitable for the reproduction of photographs, especially color photos.

Today, coated papers are produced using a variety of gloss coating methods most of which enable exceptional image quality on both sides of the sheet.