Paper guide
Four questions we answer every week at the counter. Read them before you specify, and you will order with confidence.
Grammage (g/m²) measures how heavy a sheet is, not how thick it feels. A soft, bulky paper can be thicker than a denser sheet of the same weight, so two 300 g/m² boards may behave quite differently in the hand, the press and the folder.
Ask for both the grammage and the thickness (caliper, in microns) of the sheets you are comparing.
Coated papers carry a surface layer that holds ink on top, for sharp images and vivid colour. Uncoated papers absorb more ink and give a softer, more natural result that is pleasant to write on. Neither is better – it depends on the job.
Ask to see the same image printed on both, or a printed sample of the exact range.
Paper fibres line up in one direction during manufacture. Folding along the grain gives a clean fold; folding across it can crack the surface, especially on heavier sheets. It also matters for book pages and boxes.
Ask whether the sheet is long grain or short grain for your size, and plan folds and creases with it.
Screens cannot show texture, weight or the real colour of a sheet. Finishing – foil, embossing, letterpress, varnish – also reacts differently on each paper.
Ask for samples, and test your printing and finishing on them before the full run.
Tell us what you are making – a project, a finish, even a feeling. We will suggest the sheet.
