Ten Steps to the Right Paper

Sabine Lenz

This article originally appeared on PaperSpecs.com.

Choosing the most appropriate quality paper for your project can be a daunting task. Paper has many features to consider, and new sheets are continually coming into the market.
And it’s more complex than just picking the most expensive sheet and keeping your fingers crossed. In fact, you shouldn’t think about choosing paper based on the highest quality available, or the highest quality you can afford. Rather, you should figure out the most appropriate quality paper for your needs because most appropriate equals best.
To ease the way, I’ve compiled ten tips to help you find the right paper for your projects.
One: Consider Paper Early On
As soon as the preliminary design is done, spec your paper and get quotes from printers. Tell your printer you are open to suggestions; not substitutes, but suggestions.
Depending on the sheet size your printer plans to use, small changes like 1/16 of an inch in the width of your piece can sometimes make a big difference to allow the job to fit better on the sheet.
At this stage, you can still make small adjustments to the design, but not when the client has signed off on the final proof. Getting your quotes early will also make you aware of any turn-around times you should consider in your deadline. Make adjustments if the paper you have spec’d is readily available from your local merchant (one day) or has to be shipped from the mill’s warehouse (two to five days).
A lot of mills also offer custom sheet sizes to minimize your paper waste and help you save on your overall paper cost. But you need to know early which paper you want to print on, as these orders can take anywhere from five to 14 days.
Two: Personality
Consider the lifespan of your printed piece. Is it a direct marketing piece that on a good day five percent of the recipients will look at? Or does your piece have a longer lifespan, like an annual report, a marketing brochure or catalog?
The personality of your piece, its lifespan, texture, color and coating determine the price range and quality of your paper. In addition to your budget, ask yourself what impression the piece should make. A nonprofit organization asking for financial support sends a mixed message when its mailer is printed on a premium stock. Premium paper suggests luxury and the recipient may think, “Why bother? They seem to have enough money anyway.”
If you are printing a job that reflects environmental issues, choose papers with recycled content, visible fibers or a mixed composition with a lower brightness and a texture that conveys the environmental feel.
For projects that suggest luxury, metallics, iridescents, suede, leather and other specialty papers create a stunning first impression.
Three: Finish
We designers have a very clear idea of what kind of finish will enhance our design. Some designs ask for gloss, some need a matte finish… don’t mess with us, we know what we want.
If color and crisp image or photographic reproduction is your concern, a coated gloss, matte or silk sheet is always a great and safe choice. But, there is definitely a trend toward uncoated sheets.
Large corporations are aiming to portray a softer, more understated image. With fluorescent inks and knowledgeable prepress technology, the natural surface of uncoated papers is an ideal background for 4-color process printing.
The paper is not only there to give the ink a foundation, but to enhance the design of the image you want to portray. A great example is an Eddie Bauer piece I saw that fits the company’s personality to a “T.” The texture and feel of the uncoated stock gives the impression of a sketchbook or diary kept while on a relaxing trip through the great outdoors.
Create a special interest even with a 1-color print job. Don’t shy away from trying something new, like unusually textured or specialty papers that already are a trend in Europe and are gaining more and more popularity in the United States. The new generation of production techniques makes it easier to convert, print and finish these sheets.
Don’t be stuck with the same six papers over and over again. At PaperSpecs, our online paper database features more then 4,300 papers so why would you want to limit yourself.
Four: Brightness and Color
There is white, white and white. And let no one tell you anything different. Papers are available in blue white, balanced white, natural white, soft white… you name it.
Blue whites, which are very popular at the moment, have a higher brightness and allow colors to stand out; while warmer whites, which have a lower brightness, are more comfortable on the eyes for reading or extended viewing.
As you can imagine, not every white fits every purpose. Don’t print warmer tones, such as skin tones, on a blue-white sheet. It can easily make healthy-looking people look grey. This is what warm-white papers are made for.
Brightness
Yes, there is a definite hype going on when it comes to brightness. Don’t get hung up on finding the brightest paper because even when two sheets are placed next to each other, you won’t see a two-point difference in brightness.
Originally, AF&PA standards for paper grades determined that a No. 2 sheet had a brightness of 83-84 and a No. 3 sheet’s brightness was 80-83.
So, why do we see No. 3 sheets with brightness levels of over 90 these days? Let’s just say, brightness is not the only paper mill concern anymore, and a sheet is whatever a manufacturer chooses to call it. In the end, the grade is determined by marketing.
A good quality, bright sheet is usually a more expensive sheet to make. Fillers and chemicals, such as fluorescent dyes and optical brighteners, are needed to create the paper’s bright appearance. While they help give the paper a blue-white shade, they also take a toll on the paper’s stability and runability on press.
When it comes to a premium or No. 1 sheet, you pay for great brightness and perfect runability. But how do you know which sheet/grade is right for you? Once you are considering a sheet, ask your supplier for a printed sample of the best sheet one grade below and compare.
Mills are known to upgrade the quality of a sheet. Even though a sheet could pass for a No. 1 grade, the mill may have no offering in a No. 2 grade, so they sell it as a No. 2 to complete their palette and annoy the competition. It’s all about marketing.
Color
As for colored paper, it can enhance a 1-color job and serve as a background cover, but it can also affect the appearance of the printed text and images. Blue ink on an ochre-yellow sheet will look green.
Some mills have made great promotions available, which show exactly what you can expect when you print C, M, Y or K on their colored stock.
But there are other options than offset printing on a colored stock. Create an interesting cover with blind embossing, foil stamping and/or a diecut window that reveals a full color image on the inside of the brochure.
Five: Weight
Now that we know which finish and color we want for our print job, let’s look at weight.
We have writing papers for letterheads, text sheets for text pages in a brochure, and cover sheets. We all know that these guidelines don’t really have a big impact on your paper choice anymore.
In keeping with an overall trend for heavier weights in stocks, a lot of designers spec 80-90 lb. text for letterheads and use light cover stocks for complete brochures inside and out. With an eye on tight budgets, these heavier papers can make up for a lower page count and still give a credible, dependable feel.
If your project will be printed on both sides, and especially if heavy ink coverage is involved, the paper’s opacity is crucial. Make sure the paper you choose does not allow any show-through. If in doubt, go one step heavier in weight.
If you are working on a piece that will be mailed, the weight of the finished piece is a major consideration. Watch out for postage costs and make sure the finished piece is below the USPS requirements. Look at your dummy and don’t forget there will be ink added to the weight, as well.
Always stay on the lighter side. I remember a beautiful holiday card I designed for a client that was ready to be mailed and fit the 32-cent (oh for those days again) postal requirements perfectly. But then, my client decided to add a gift certificate and the postage went up to 55 cents.
Uncoated sheets have higher bulk
There is something else you should remember: if bulk and weight are important, an uncoated sheet will work better for you. Due to the clay coating, a coated paper will weigh more than its same-sized counterpart. Even though it weighs less, the same piece printed on an uncoated sheet will be thicker because uncoated paper naturally has a higher bulk.
If your job requires stiffness, such as with a business reply card, make sure the paper is manufactured to caliper and guarantees a specific thickness and stiffness.
Go to page 2 for steps six through ten.

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