Gloss, Silk or Uncoated? Choosing the Right Paper for Flyers

Silk is the default for good reason: smooth to the touch, colours print well, and there's no glare under shop lighting. Gloss pushes photographs and saturated colours to maximum vibrancy at the cost of reflections and fingerprints. Uncoated feels natural and tactile, suits craft and premium-rustic brands, and takes handwriting — but colours print softer.

The comparison

Stock	Colour vibrancy	Feel	Writable	Best for
Gloss	Highest	Shiny, slick	No	Food photography, retail offers
Silk	High	Smooth, muted sheen	Pencil/biro just about	Almost everything
Uncoated	Softer	Natural, papery	Yes	Craft brands, forms, invitations

Why do colours differ between stocks?

Coated papers (gloss, silk) hold ink on the surface; uncoated absorbs it, spreading dots slightly and muting saturation — the same file prints visibly differently. If you're printing a photo-led menu, gloss; a wellness studio flyer, uncoated may suit the brand better despite softer colour. (Related: why screen and print colours differ.)

Does the choice change the price?

Between gloss and silk at the same weight, no. Uncoated can vary slightly by stock. Weight matters more — GSM explained here. Standard flyer pricing assumes 170gsm silk.

Quick chooser

Takeaway menu → gloss 170gsm. Professional services → silk 170gsm. Wedding invitation insert → uncoated 300gsm. Door-drop offer → silk 130–170gsm.

FAQ

Which hides fingerprints? Silk and uncoated. Gloss shows everything. Can I see samples? Yes — swatches in the Ipswich shop. Same-day on all stocks? Standard weights in gloss/silk yes; unusual uncoated stocks may need a day — check by 1pm.