PAPER / FINISHING
Stock / Materials
What stock shall I use?
There are many varying types and names of stock (paper) on the market. The decision of what to use is by no means fixed. Creative influence, client preference, brand requirements, sustainability are just a few.
Common paper stocks include Silk (Satin), Gloss, Matt, Uncoated to name but a few. Silk has a slight sheen to it unlike the high shine of a gloss paper. Matt paper is just a coated multipurpose stock and uncoated common where there is a need for it to be written on.
Matt and Silk are the commonest, as the shine that gloss gives off can be too reflective – but again – this is dependant on the subject matter – a picture intense page for example may benefit from this.
One recommendation though is you insist on the paper being FSC accredited. This is the global certificate applied to paper produced from responsible management of forests. FSC demand will always outweigh the request for recycled paper.
Recycled paper is as it says – it used to be paper and has been re-worked and made to paper again. The process to do this often leads to the paper being 10% recycled, 25%, 50% etc, hence the demand for a managed FSC accredited production.
You will come across many terms when it comes to what happens after a sheet of paper has been printed. If it is not going to be a single sheet of paper (cut to size) then there are many other formats.
Printed sheets can be single folded, concertina folded, roll folded, gate folded, quarter folded, double gate folded, map folded.
Multiple pages bound so that they are saddle stitched, PUR bound, perfect bound, spine glued, wire bound etc.
The sheets themselves can also be coated to add finished surfaces – encapsulation, lamination, gloss varnish, UV varnish, logos or words can be embossed or debossed, sections die cut, and gum applied.
Printing techniques are constantly evolving, so always good to keep in touch with your printer to see what is “new out there”.
