Which Finish Best Fits Your Film Festival Poster?

Think about the sheer amount of time spent on your film festival submission. Your festival poster should represent the same level of dedication.

After perfecting the layout of your poster, the next step is to choose a physical paper finish. The right finish shouldn't detract from your typography or color grading but rather enhance and protect the artwork.

This article takes a look at matte, gloss, and lustre finishes, as well as influencing factors such as display conditions, size, weight, color, and test printing.

Gloss vs. Matte Finishes

When you think of poster finishes, the first two options that immediately spring to mind are gloss and matte finishes.

Gloss finishes create a shiny surface, reminiscent of a magazine cover. Matte finishes are known for their velvety, smooth appearances. Importantly, gloss finishes reflect light while matte surfaces absorb it.

Since matte finishes don't reflect light, they're the most versatile option for film festivals since they work with all venues. A film poster with a glossy finish can get lost in the lights, making it difficult to make out a film's title from a distance.

However, some poster genres can benefit from gloss finishes, like action movies with high-contrast colors and designs, where a glossy finish catches the eye. These displays work best in multiplex movie theaters with ambient lighting.

Display Conditions

Where you display your film poster is another determining factor.

For example, if you're running a Guerilla-style campaign for a film festival in downtown Los Angeles, you're going to need thin poster paper with a matte finish and wheat paste poster printing. This marketing strategy draws its power from repetition, pasting a block of several posters that demand attention, even from blocks away.

If your film is slated for a festival premiere, a glossy finish may be tempting for a large poster. But when you consider the number of flashing camera lights and overhead lighting fixtures, a glossy finish can create blinding white spots in person and in photos. Instead, go with a matte finish to ensure your poster is always legible.

The Lustre Finish

If you insist on using gloss to bring out the high-contrast design of your poster, a semi-gloss finish is a good compromise.

Also known as lustre, this finish strikes a balance between matte and gloss, resulting in a smooth, pebbled texture that softly works with the light. The result is a "shimmer" rather than a mirror-like effect.

Lustre is a popular choice for character-focused film posters and graphic-heavy designs.

Size and Weight

Your poster's dimensions can help you determine which finish to use. The standard lightbox size is 27 x 40 inches, while street promotion posters are typically 24 x 36 inches.

Weight is another factor.

For your Guerrilla-style campaigns, you'll want extra-thin posters for applying wheat paste glue. However, standard outdoor posters should weigh between 170 and 210 grams per square meter, making them durable enough to resist tearing but flexible enough to be rolled.

For film festival lobbies or archival prints, you'll want a heavier paper, weighing 260 gsm. This paper would have a more rigid, luxurious feel.

Color and Printing

Consider your color palette. For instance, glossy and lustre finishes deepen black hues and make saturated colors more vibrant.

But you should also consider mood. A glossy finish reflection on a dark color palette can distract from the atmosphere you're trying to create. A matte finish can better preserve the emotional tone of your film.

You also want to avoid color shift when printing your final poster.

This problem occurs when you design a film poster in an RGB (red, green, and blue) color model, but print your poster in CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). Computer screens display a wider range of colors than printers, resulting in hues that don't exactly match the digital file.

You can prevent color shift by converting your files to CMYK and utilizing ICC profiles such as U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2. Soft-proofing features also simulate how the ink will respond on your chosen paper.

When you're ready to test print, use a backlight to catch color shifts and legibility issues. Lastly, perform a framing test to see how the glass interacts with your chosen finish.

Frame Your Poster in Its Best Light

Take your time to choose the right finish. Are you promoting an action-packed film that demands a high-contrast gloss or an indie drama that requires the emotional tone of a matte finish?

Find even more inspiration for your film posters with our latest features, artist exclusives, and more.