There are a variety of photo paper finishes available, ranging from extremely glossy to flat matte.
Glossy produces deep, vibrant colors while matte offers rich textures and resists fingerprints. Each finish has its recommended uses.

For printouts with crisp lines and intense, high-quality colors, gloss and semi-gloss work best.

If you want to share your photos, you'll want a coated paper.
Gloss, semi-gloss, satin and luster are all good choices for quality and durability. However, gloss is the worse choice for fingerprints on your pass-around pics.

The best coated papers are all multi-layered and should have an extra top layer. This special resin coated top layer gives your paper a long lasting, instant dry, non-stick surface. It also reduces the damage from scratches and eliminates most moisture problems.

Use Gloss for: 
portraits, action shots, sports, events, people...
promotional pieces, layouts, portfolio images,
proofs, indoor displays and posters. 

Dries instantly and resists smudging.
Great for printing in humid environments.

Conveys realism thru color accuracy and incredible detail. produces truly remarkable, high-quality photo prints. Your prints will be virtually indistinguishable from professional lab results and will feel just like traditional photographs.

NOTE: Due to its glossy surface, lamination is not recommended.

Semi-Gloss (also called satin or luster)
Wedding, portrait and school photographers have traditionally used luster paper for their photos. Uses include action shots, sports, events, people and high quality presentation applications.

Conveys life-like images thru color accuracy and incredible detail.
The velvety texture of this semi-gloss paper gives your photos an amazingly rich quality. Semi-Gloss produces vibrant images with low glare and a soft glossy finish for photo lab quality prints right at home. Dries instantly and resists smudging. Great for printing in humid environments.

The Resin Coated base gives your prints a durable photographic feel, and keeps the paper cockle-free. It resists fading while producing vibrant, professional-quality photos that will last for years.

NOTE: Due to its semigloss surface, lamination is also not recommended.

Uses for Matte:
nature related; skies, landscapes, plants,
desert muted colors, soft lines,
stark contrasts and black-and-whites
arts & crafts projects
non reflective presentations and displays
Can be easily used to set the mood or tone

4x6
framing
albums
display
sharing

4x12
panoramic photos

5x7 & 8x10
framing
albums

8.5x11
scrapbooks
photo gifts 
business photos
school projects
photo greeting cards
photo album pages
calendars 
holiday letters
newsletters 
reprints

12x12
scrapbooks

11x17
calendars
posters
newsletters
signs
point of purchase
banner
advertising display

13x19
studio-quality enlargements
posters
signs
point of purchase
banner
advertising display

Scrapbook Papers
acid-free, lignin-free
matte and semigloss papers
non-yellowing coating

Here's what to look for when printing photos:

Whiteness.
For photo or picture printing, keep in mind that whiter papers produce sharper, more vibrant colors. Because ink is translucent, light passes through it and bounces off the paper, then passes back through the ink.
Therefore, paper color affects the color you see when you print.

Thickness.
Some photo projects, such as calendars, require a heavier paper stock. But if it's too thick, it could jam your printer.

Surface.
For printouts with crisp lines and intense, high-quality colors, the surface of the paper is key. Glossy paper produces vibrant color but is susceptible to fingerprints. So matte paper might be a better choice for prints that will be handled often.

Here's what to look for when choosing general-use paper

Weight.
Paper weight ranges from lightweight newsprint to very heavy cardboard.
Most quality business paper is 20- to 24-pound (lb) bond, with greeting card papers at the heavier end of the scale, usually in the range of 60- to 65-lb cardstock. Metric equivalents are expressed in grams per square meter, abbreviated as g/m2.

Thickness.
The thickness of a paper affects its handling and is most applicable to photo papers. Generally, thicker media will be stiffer and will resist creases and tears. Thickness is most often expressed as a unit of measure called a "mil."

Brightness.
A higher brightness value means that more light is reflected from the surface of the paper, providing crisper text with better contrast and a brighter background for color and images.

Opacity.
Opacity describes how well the paper blocks the passage of light through it.
High-opacity paper prevents print from showing through to the other side and is considered good for documents such as brochures, newsletters, and calendars.

Finish.
Finishes for laser and inkjet papers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with numerous choices for a variety of applications. They range from matte to glossy, with lessening degrees of glossiness, sometimes described as semi-gloss, soft-gloss, or satin-gloss. Many people prefer the mirror-like finish of high-gloss media for color photographs, and smooth matte finishes for black-and-white photographs and business documents.

NOTE: Be careful with extremely smooth, shiny, or coated papers that aren't specifically designed for your printer. They can cause jams and even repel ink.