The paper you choose for your packaging is the first to be touched and seen. It’s more like the gesture made prior to verbal communication. Despite this, most individuals are only interested in design and words for their print jobs. They will spend hours choosing colors and fonts, and then select their paper as an afterthought. This is a lost opportunity because a good paper will make your message more serious, valuable, and credible. To make an informed choice, you need to understand two concepts that are simple yet powerful, which are weight and finish. This article explains how they affect your printing job.
Paper Weight
Paper Stock Impacts Your Print Quality!
The weight of a paper refers to how dense and heavy one sheet feels. And yet, it can be deceptive because it is not necessarily measured by how much a single sheet weighs on a balance scale. Paper Weight in the USA is usually called “basis weight”. The number is the weight of 500 sheets in base size. What you need to be more familiar with is the handling of these weights in your hand.
The Different types Available
Light Paper (50lb-70lb)
This type of paper is comparable to the one used in a book or a cheap pad. It is an easy, cost-effective solution for objects of short life, like internal papers, draft prints, or large catalogs that have to be mailed inexpensively. It is often thin and perhaps translucent.
Standard Weight (80lb-100lb)
This is your workhorse since it falls in the range for most day-to-day office printer papers. It feels good and has some heft without being too heavy. It’s a great, safe bet for standard letterheads, brochures, and reports. It presents professionalism and is easy to work with.
Heavyweight Paper (120lb cover, 100pt)
You make your statement here because this paper is heavy, rigid, substantial, and won’t bend. This is the kind of paper used for printing business cards, postcards, high-end magazine covers, and premium product packaging. When you hold a business card on heavyweight stock, you intuitively sense the company as solid and professional.
Paper Finish
Whereas weight is the framework of the paper, finish is its complexion. Finish is the paper’s texture and the way it reflects light. That is what controls the character of your print.
The Different Types Available
Coated Paper Finish
Coated paper is a thin, uniform layer of polymer or clay. As a result, the surface is always closed and very smooth. A glossy coated finish is shiny. It highlights colors and images bright and lively. It is great for restaurant menus, photo brochures, and anything where visual appeal matters. The downside is that it is slippery to write on and fingerprints easily.
Matte or Satin is not coated with a shiny finish. It has a soft, smooth feel that is sleek and modern. It’s also easy to read in lighting conditions since there is no glare. This finish is suitable for art books, yearly reports, and high-end catalogs.
Uncoated Paper
This is perhaps the rawest form of paper you can find. It is porous and feels soft because it isn’t coated with a slick layer. The best thing about uncoated paper is that it is a delight to write with a pen or pencil. It is the classic choice for business stationery, personal note cards, and formal correspondence. Textured Paper is more like a personality-plus uncoated paper. When made, an impression pattern is pressed into the paper, which provides it with a touch feeling.
Making the Right Choice
A Heavyweight Glossy or Satin paper is most often preferred for a restaurant menu that looks lively and appetizing. If you are designing a business card, it needs to be solid and able to survive being carried in a wallet or pocket. Heavy Weight paper, perhaps with a Matte or low-profile Texture, conveys confidence right away. The world of paper is large, but you don’t need to delve into it alone. The second-best thing to having actual paper samples is to become attuned to the feel of a gloss and a matte finish. Bend a light sheet and a heavy sheet. The right choice will present itself to you when you touch it.
Weight and finish selection will have a huge impact on your print job. However, to make the best possible decision, you need to assistance of professionals. At Kintech, we can help make this process easy for you. On top of this, we create quality products that look exactly as envisioned.
