I can tell the front from the back, especially if you examine the areas that have speckles or the edges of the watermarks. One side is always sharper than the other, but by a little bit. I'll use whichever side I need - the back for "softer" or the front for "sharper." Please don't stress about it! As my mother would say, "Those people who WOULD notice - would you want them in your home or not?" (Makes me laugh every time!)