Picking the Perfect Paper

The Perfect Paper

You've created the perfect design for that brochure, newsletter, postcard, or getting-the-band-back-together-because-we're-on-a-mission-from-God announcement. Great. Now, it's time to select the right paper to complete the package. Paper selection is a very important element in printed projects; it affects both the cost and visual appeal of the piece you're creating.

In addition to choosing a specific weight, opacity, and brightness, the finish of your paper plays a big role in the overall appearance and feel of your printed product. Here's a quick rundown of common finishes and how each effect is achieved:

A smooth finish results from paper passing through sets of rollers during the papermaking process.
Bond paper is a relatively high-grade paper stock with a rag content ranging from 25 percent to 100 percent.
Vellum has a subtle roughness.
An embossed finish provides a molded appearance on the paper's surface.
A linen finish resembles linen cloth. (Imagine that.)
Cockle is a texture similar to homemade paper.
Metallic paper is coated with a thin film containing metal or plastic whose color and gloss simulate metal.
Coated paper has a coating applied to give the sheet a better appearance.
Cast coated results in an exceptionally glossy coated finish, usually only on one side.

Now that you know a bit about finishes, let's use that knowledge to help you pick the perfect paper for your project. (Try saying that five times fast.) These selections are sure to please, no matter how divine or ordinary your mission may be..

Paper Type	Characteristics	Finish	Type of Project
Bond	Comes in a range of pastels, neutrals, matching envelopes, and matching cover weights	Smooth, cockle	Fliers (like that mission-critical announcement), forms, copies
Writing paper	Comes in a range of colors and flocking options that match envelopes, plus cover and text weights	Smooth, linen, vellum, cockle, etc.	Stationery
Uncoated book	Comes in a range of colors and is thicker and more opaque than bond or writing papers	Smooth	Direct mail, newsletters, catalogs
Text	Comes in a range of colors and flocking options that match envelopes, plus cover and text weights	Smooth, linen, vellum, cockle, etc.	Letterhead, annual reports, brochures
Coated book	Matching cover weights limited to cream and white, although specialty lines exist in a range of colors	Dull, gloss, matte, cast-coated	Magazines, catalogs, direct mail
Cover	Heavier and more durable counter-part to coordinate with text, book, and writing papers	Smooth, linen, vellum, gloss, matte	Business cards, report covers, brochures, tickets, postcards, pocket folders, greeting cards
Index/Bristol	Comes in a range of colors and finishes	Coated, vellum, smooth	Postcards, file folders, tickets
Translucent vellum	Semitransparent stock comes in a range of colors and weights plus matching envelopes	Smooth, grooved	See through envelopes and overlays
Newsprint	Inexpensive, light-weight, white/manila only	Vellum	Newspapers, tabloids
Label	Comes in gummed, pressure sensitive, and self-adhesive backing and in a range of colors	Smooth (uncoated), matte, glossy, cast coated	Labels, stickers

Forms Folds Sizes:
All the Details Graphic Designers Need to Know But Can Never Find

by Poppy Evans

Forms, Folds & Sizes is the book that is always next to a designer's computer. Completely practical with only the most needed information, this book will provide designers with all the little details that can make or break a design such as how much space to leave in the gutter when designing barrel folds, how to layout a template for a box and the ratios of each part, metric conversion charts, standard envelope sizes in the USA, Europe, Canada and Asia, etc.