aellman Loc: Boston MA

So true. A woman I used to work with was fond of showing
snapshots of her grandchildren every time there was a new
batch, which was often. I wisely held my tongue, although
it wasn't easy. What I wanted to say is, "I understand these
are very special and fascinating to you, but NOBODY ELSE CARES!" >Alan

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

Personally= I like semi-gloss.

However.

Whatever the client likes and will pay for.

=0=

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

In addition to that, Epson Ultrachrome series pigment inks used on canvas yields prints that last up to 200 years under glass in normal room light, or over 300 years in dark storage.

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/epson/WIR_Epson_SureColor_P7000_and_P9000_Printers_2019-02-15.pdf

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Costco does metal, canvas and acrylic.

therwol Loc: USA

I think it depends on the kids and on the photos. I have a son who has expressed an interest in having and going over all of our family pictures (with people in them) going back 3 generations. He couldn't care less about pictures of landscapes, birds, our recent vacations etc. with the exception of a few pictures of Mom and Dad. I have my digital pictures fairly well organized, and I'm scanning all of my film, so I'll pull out pictures that he might want, and that will be the end of it. If he wants to throw away all of the boxes of old prints, I don't think I'll care.

Bill P

I have been using Red River papers foryears now and have never been dissapointed. Their "metallic" paper is exceptional, and I like their gloss as well.

Canvas? Meh.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

I have printed a number of pictures using Matte Paper. Setting the printer details properly(for Matte Paper) should still give acceptable tonal quality. If not, tweak the contrast a little more. It's not 'Rocket Science', more like Physics, and Chemistry.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

I have never used canvas or metal, partly because of the added expense, and partly because it isn't clear to me which images would look best on either of them!

That said, I choose papers based on what I feel is the best surface for each image. As an amateur, I do not use a lot of the more expensive papers. Sometimes I do "test prints" to help with deciding on which paper. My favorite is Lustre, although I also use Satin more because it is less expensive and almost as nice. After that, I like the metallic paper, which is somewhat glossy and adds to the feeling of depth of perspective and color in a photo. In general, I am not fond of matte paper, but have been experimenting with Red River Paper's Fine Art paper in Natural, which I like for its warming effect on, for example, black and white.

Like you, I like colors in a photo to "pop" without being overly saturated. The metallic and lustre papers are good for that.

As for longevity, good framing and protective glass seem to be the best way to to display them that will keep them looking good. Another protective measure that also will make the images present better is Museum Glass, which shows the image off very well with no reflections! I have recently been thinking about the use of a protective coating, but have not yet investigated its use and application.

travelpig

I’m a fan of sticking to quality paper. A gloss will pop your colors but if the print sits next to the glass humidity can glue it to that glass. Also just a thought, please don’t worry about leaving your photos to your family and friends. No one really wants them. We all have our own. Do whatever makes you happy and complements the photos. Even a velvet Elvis may have a perfect home.

Mountain Rider Loc: Rigby, Idaho

Wow, there are more options than I will try in my remaining life time, thanks for the insight. As to the kids and why I look at keeping a record of us and our travels, it's a family thing. My family has photos going back to at least 1897 when my Grandfather was born. Some include the mule teams and cargo wagons my Great Grandfather used to move the family from Missouri to Red Lodge, Montana. My father was a Combat Photographer with the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific during WWII. If you come across any of the Campaign books the Marines produced, you may see some of his work. I know of several from the Tarawa campaign, showing the darkness of war. After the war, he did a lot of photo work, even photographing Gene Autry and his troop as they passed through our area. A 4X5 Crown Graphic was his camera of choice, and what I learned on until I got my own Kodak Brownie. Some of his photos can be found in the fire station and city hall of my home town, even to this day.

Unfortunately, we all went in different directions, but after a bit of a hiatus, are getting back into the wonder of pictures and the history we preserve. Hence my concern for longevity. I don't plan on printing everything, saving many to disc for storage, but for those few that show who we are, what we did, and where we've been, I want as good as I can get. You all have been tremendously helpful, thank you.

westitzer Loc: Central California coastal area

I forgot about those doing genealogy research (I've done some) that like having photos to go with the names of their historic relations.

Bipod

Would that be a "double your photo back" guarantee?

When the photo turns yellow and crumbles in ten years, what good is a guarantee?
(especially one that has a time limit, and is limited to refund of purchase price.

Let's see, what is the price of one sheet of paper? Will you still have the receipt
for the paper in ten years? And will the company that made the guarantee still be
in business?

Manufactuers have been at this guarantee/warranty game for a while, and they
have in-house corporate councils ti draft them plus law firms for litigtation.
Consumers, on the other hand, just see the word "guaranteed" and think "I can't lose!"

That guarantee protects you about as well as "guaranteed to open" does on a parachute.