Our magazine inner pages are 170 GSM non-glare smooth. The number gets quoted; the “non-glare” part almost never does, and it is the half you notice every single time.
What glare actually does to a book
A reflective page under a light source throws a bright patch across part of the image. You tilt the book to move it. The patch moves somewhere else.
Three consequences, in order of how much they matter:
1. You cannot show it to somebody. Two people at slightly different angles cannot both see the page. Whoever is not holding it gets the reflection.
2. Dark photographs become unviewable. The reflection is brightest exactly where the image is darkest, so a night photograph is the worst case.
3. It gets opened less. Not consciously. An object that is slightly awkward to look at is looked at less often, and nobody ever articulates why.
Where glare comes from
Not the paper alone. Two things:
The finish, which is the paper’s surface — gloss reflects, matte scatters.
The ink coverage. A page with heavy dark ink can be shinier than the paper around it, even on matte stock. This is why a full-bleed black-and-white photograph can catch light on a matte page while the caption beside it does not.
Non-glare stock is treated to minimise both, which is a real difference from ordinary matte and it is what the specification is naming. Matte, gloss and satin compared →
The test
If you are comparing books from anywhere, this takes ten seconds:
Hold it open under a ceiling light and tilt it slowly through about forty-five degrees.
| What happens | What it is |
|---|---|
| Nothing much | Non-glare or good matte |
| A soft sheen passes across | Ordinary matte, or heavy ink |
| A hard bright patch you have to move away from | Gloss or satin |
Do it with a page that has a dark photograph on it. A page of white space will pass any test.
Where it matters most
Albums, which are opened flat and shared across a table. Ours are 250 GSM matte inside for the same reason.
Anything for an older reader. Glare is significantly more disabling with age, and a reflective page can make a photograph genuinely hard to make out. Which format suits poor eyesight →
Anything that will be photographed. People photograph pages to send them. A reflective page photographs badly, which quietly limits how far the book travels.
What it costs you
Very slightly less colour depth, the same trade as matte generally. Blacks sit a fraction lighter.
For a page you can hold at any angle, under any light, and hand to somebody else, it is not a close call.
Frequently asked
What is non-glare paper? Paper with a surface treated to scatter rather than reflect light, so a page does not throw a bright patch under a ceiling light.
Why does it matter for a photo book? Because a book is held at whatever angle is comfortable and shown to other people. A reflective page can only be seen properly by whoever is holding it.
How do I test for glare? Hold a page with a dark photograph on it under a ceiling light and tilt it. A hard bright patch means gloss.
Does non-glare paper cost more? It is what we use as standard on inner pages, so the price on the site includes it.
What is the downside? A fraction less colour depth. Small, against a page readable at any angle.
Part of our guide to paper and printing. See also: matte, gloss and satin compared and album paper and magazine paper.
170 GSM non-glare pages: Photo magazines from ₹499 · All 11 keepsakes