Finish is the most-guessed decision in poster printing, and the one with the clearest answers — because light does not negotiate.

What matte does

Swallows glare completely and lets ink read like pigment on paper — the gallery look.

The trade: colours sit softer, so bold promo work can feel muted.

What gloss does

Maximum colour pop and maximum reflection — every ceiling light becomes part of your artwork.

Right for punchy work in controlled light; wrong opposite a window.

Why cinema chose satin

Satin keeps most of gloss’s punch while staying readable from every angle under lobby lighting.

Decades of light-box testing settled it; the one-sheet standard is satin for a reason.

The rule of thumb

Gallery wall: matte. Lobby or lit case: satin. Dark venue and bold art: gloss earns its keep.

When in doubt, satin — it is the finish that fails nowhere.