Production/Distribution

The Paper Chase

Choosing the right paper for your printed piece is an important but often underappreciated consideration. The paper, also referred to as stock, chosen for printing sends a message to your reader independent of what the words or design might say. Making an appropriate paper choice assures that your stock is in harmony with and reinforces your message, while a poor choice can easily distract from or even undermine your intended message.

The two paper characteristics that will have the most impact on the look and feel of the finished printed piece are finish and weight.

Finish
The finish refers to the character of the surface of the paper. The two major categories of finishes are coated stocks and uncoated stocks.

Coated stocks have a harder, glossier printing surface that generally produces sharper printed color images and text. Some common finishes of coated papers include gloss, matte, and satin. Coated stocks reproduce color that pops and have a slick feel that is well suited for marketing and sales pieces. Choosing a coated stock delivers your message in a vibrant and eye catching way.

Uncoated stocks have a more porous finish. The choices in uncoated stocks suitable for process printing are typically limited to varying degrees of a smooth finish. Uncoated stocks absorb more ink than coated sheets when printing, making the images less sharp and bright. But they have a wonderful tactile quality and are usually less expensive than coated papers. Uncoated stocks deliver a more subdued message that is well suited for internal communications or in instances when a slick, flashy look is inappropriate.

Weight
The second most important consideration when deciding on the right paper for your project involves choosing an appropriate weight. Paper is available in a variety of cover and text weights. Cover weights are heavier and thicker than text weights. Choosing a weight that is well-suited to reproduce your content involves considering:

• The expected useful life of the piece
• How many pages will be in your piece
• How the piece will ultimately be distributed Obviously the heavier the stock, the more it will cost to transport through the postal service.

Other Important Considerations
While finish and weight are two of the more visible characteristics, there are several other considerations that should be considered before making final decision. These include:

Price and Availability
Even if your first choice proves too expensive for your budget, there are often comparable lower grade stocks that have many of the same physical characteristics at a lower price. Also, make sure that the stock will be available when you need it. Usually the more exotic a stock is, the greater the lead time that is required to have it ready for your printer. Sometimes there are minimum quantities that must be ordered regardless of how much paper your job requires.

Color
The color of the paper can have dramatic effects on printing, especially flesh tones. There are many different shades of white, from cool blues to warm yellows. The whitest papers sometimes have a blue cast that causes flesh tones to go grey, while the more yellow papers can have an unnatural effect on flesh tones and give the piece a less vibrant look.

Opacity
The opacity refers to how opaque that paper is. Higher quality papers are more opaque, meaning that there is less “show through” of what is printed on the other side of the piece.

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Carlton Davis is vice president of operations for Parthenon Publishing and has extensive experience with embossing, foils, dies, metallics, hexachrome printing and spot and process colors. For six years he was head of production at Capitol Records, where he directed the creative and oversaw the production of integrated marketing campaigns with print runs exceeding five million. Before that, he managed Team Design Inc., a Nashville design firm. Carlton has overseen the production of literally millions of printed pieces ranging from short run two color jobs to large run magazines to multi-million runs of CD album graphics.