Photobook Review: AdoramaPix Fuji Deep Matte Paper

AdoramaPix 8x10 Landscape, Fuji Deep Matte paper

Basic Information

Since I was not terribly fond of the default lustre paper of my first AdoramaPix book, I decided to print another book using the next photo paper that appealed to me: Fuji Deep Matte. This is their most expensive paper option, and it definitely has a super luxe hand/feel to it. However, I don't think it's quite right for vacation or year-in-review photobooks either.

I also decided to try a slightly shorter landscape size of 8x10 inches, and I'm happy to say I am much more satisfied with this size. I think it's perfect!

Basic Information
Website	AdoramaPix (link) (referral link*)
Product	Photo Book
Size	8 x 10 Landscape
Actual Dimensions (exterior cover)	25.8 x 20.3 cm (10 1/8 x 8")
Actual Dimensions (interior pages)	25.1 x 19.8 cm (9 7/8 x 7 3/4 ")
Cover Type	Hard Cover (image wrap)
Spine Printing?	Yes (text and image)
Type of Pages/Binding	Lay Flat (seamless)
Type of Paper	Fuji Deep Matte
# Pages	14
End pages?	Optional
Pricing
List Price (excl. shipping)	$56.80 (pricing info)
Shipping Cost	Free shipping over $39
Promotion Used	25% off
Total Price Paid (incl. shipping)	$42.60
Cashback at time of order?	6% on MrRebates (referral link)
Shipping
Date Ordered	12/27/2015
Date Shipped	12/30/2015 (USPS)
Date Received	12/31/2015
Software
Photobook Editor	Online

* If you create an account through the referral link above and place an order of $15 or more, I will receive a $10 credit, and you will receive a $5 credit. You can still use cashback!

Software Review

Please see this post for my review on AdoramaPix's photobook software.

Product Pictures

Cover

Inside front cover and end page on right (also Fuji Deep Matte paper)

Spread with custom layout

The completely lustre-less paper unfortunately renders muted colours

Another custom layout

Full bleed prints, like the one on the left here do look breathtaking on this paper though

Again, the full bleed looks much more impressive than the more scrapbook-y layout on the right

Inside back cover and end page on the right

Back cover

The front cover image wrapped around to the back of the book

Spine

Bottom of book

Layflat seamless design

Close up of the Deep Matte paper texture

Comparison to 4x6 Prints

Here you can see the Fuji Deep Matte compared to the control prints from ProDPI, which are printed on Lustre paper.

Macros

Again, since these are photo paper prints, there is no half-toning or visible dots. Great detail, and text is super sharp as well. Note: Softness around the corners of the photos are the result of me not having a true macro lens; these photos were taken with a macro extension tube.

Final Thoughts

While the Fuji Deep Matte paper is super luxurious feeling, I think it is more suited to an artistic or photography focused photobook, rather than a vacation or year-in-review type book. The colours on these totally matte prints are not as vibrant as I would like.

The added expense of this paper is also very significant; Fuji Deep Matte costs about 2x that of the standard Lustre finish.

I think this paper would look superb for wedding photographs! Someday, I would like to print a book with just full-bleeds of my favourite photos taken over the years as a showcase -- but I don't have enough yet to print a book!

The pages are also thicker than Lustre or HD Gloss. This book was only 14 pages (due to it being a short trip, and also I wanted to test this paper before committing to a huge long book), and the overall book thickness is not much thinner than my 36 page Lustre book.

Pros

• Super luxe hand/feel; almost velvety to the touch
• No glare or distraction at all; completely lustre-less finish

Cons

• Super expensive
• Colours are more muted than non-matte paper finishes
• This paper option is not available on all photobook sizes (N/A for books with both dimensions <= 8 inches)

Additional Reviews

Couldn't find any!