Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
The paper is rough and diffuse because it's cheaper. It also has a short life span compared to higher quality papers. Some books are printed on higher quality glossy paper (high kaolin content) as are quite a few magazines though using higher quality paper carries a weight and cost penalty.
|
Reading paper is generally diffuse because its excellent for the purpose due to the fact that it doesn't suffer from glare unlike glossy paper.
Here's an
article from "Steve's Digicams" that talks about matte vs glossy paper:
"Matte paper is excellent for displaying photos such as large panoramas that must be displayed "naked" (not behind plastic/glass) in an environment where light reflections can be an issue. Since you don't get any glare at all from matte papers, matte paper is a good choice for displaying a 4 foot panorama in a camera store under mixed lighting especially where the prints are displayed high on a wall and reflections from overhead lights can be a real issue."
"Glossy papers generally offer the widest color range and best resolution, but they suffer from glare which can be a problem under certain lighting conditions."
Since E-readers are appreciated in wide variety of lighting situations one generally wants them glare free. That's why they apply anti-glare coating for E-ink displays. The end result today is just not as glare free as matte paper but reading experience would be improved if it was. It is still very usable as is. My old reflective LCD reader glares a ton more and mostly because of that is very hard to use without its frontlight.