Let's simplify nomenclature
2005-03-11 by Djon
"Glossy" has a very specific meaning in photography. It means maximum shiny, with no texture. Variations on that theme are not "glossy." There are a variety of "semi-gloss surfaces," ranging from dull gloss to faintly pebbled texture/shiney materials that are typically on resin coated paper. There are a variety of "matte" surfaces, some of which are dead flat matte with no texture, such as Epson Enhanced Matte (a benchmark product because it's so good at what it does and so widely distributed), and various "art" surfaces, some of which are naturally somewhat textured, some of which are highly textured. There are also various "canvas" textures. With the exception of "art" surface, these terms have been in heavy use by photographers for decades: "glossy," "semi-gloss," and "matte". There is no excuse for adding to confusion by refusing to use the commonly accepted terms.