Just found out most art print sites use cheaper paper than they advertise

Was looking into getting some of my better pieces printed for a small show next month and started digging into paper specs. Turns out a lot of the big print-on-demand places actually use a lower gsm paper than what they list on their site. I saw a comparison post from a print shop in Portland that tested 5 different companies and 3 of them were off by like 20-30 gsm. That's a pretty big deal when you're trying to get consistent color and texture. Has anyone else run into this or found a printer that's actually honest about their materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_gonzalez1mo ago

idk I once ordered 100 prints and half arrived with a weird blue tint.

taylor.mary1mo ago

oh man @elizabeth_gonzalez that blue tint thing is the worst. i had the same issue with a batch from a different printer last year. turns out their color profiles were just way off. i always ask for a test print now before i commit to a big order. saved me a ton of headaches.