Deciding which paper to use for your personalized business card, flyers, brochures and other business materials can be difficult. The weight of the paper plays a significant role in which type you should use for the job.
Read on to learn more about selecting the right paper for your print job.
Why is the Type of Paper Important?
That is a question that we receive a lot. The type of paper you choose to print on influences several things, including:
- Perception of your business
- Printability and reproduction quality
- The cost to mail the product
- Durability
- Appearance and feel of the paper
All of these aspects should be considered when choosing the right paper.
Color and Brightness
Color is almost as important as the type and weight of the paper you choose.
The brightness of paper is a measurement of how much light it reflects. Generally, the paper reflects between 60% and 90% of light. Brightness has a major effect on readability – the higher the level of brightness, the harder it is to read the document (bright paper also contributes to eye strain). On the other hand, low brightness can make the document look blurry.
Coating
Choose from either coated or uncoated paper; make this decision carefully, since the coating is what will affect the feel of the product. Coated products can have a coating on either one or both sides; options include gloss, silk, matte and semi-matte. If you’re printing artwork or photos, any coating is fine except for matte.
When deciding on the paper, below are a few questions you may want to ask yourself:
- What is the final product? Are you making a book, posters, business cards, brochures, flyers, etc.?
- What type of impression do you want to make with the document? Does it need to feel solid or is it okay if it doesn’t? Do you want a traditional product or something more creative and unique, such as letterpress?
- How durable does the product need to be? A book, for example, should be more durable than a business card; a business card should be more durable than an event flyer.
- What’s going on the printed document? Is it going to be text-heavy or are you going to include photos?
The best way to go about choosing the right paper for your print job is to ask. Feel free to visit our support center or complete our contact form, and we’ll be happy to answer your printing questions.
