How to Choose the Right Paper and Finish for Your Print Materials

No matter how many skilled craftsmen are employed to do a job, their expertise is useless without the right tools. That translates to all kinds of work, including print. Infact, the quality of print materials can be the deciding factor in losing or winning a client. A printed article made with cheap and low quality material can repel a customer, while on the contrary, an article made with expensive and premium material will attract a customer more, making them eager to examine it thoroughly. 

Thus, selecting the right paper type for your print is essential to attract customers and target the right audience.

This guide in selecting the right paper type and materials will help you choose the right material for you, helping you in the journey of printing and making printed artefacts. 

Understanding Paper Types for Print Materials:

1. Paper Weight and Thickness: The weight of the paper affects the customer’s opinion, despite its priority and position in the list of things printing agencies consider to be important. Heavier and thicker paper, while more expensive, showcases a sense of luxury in prints. On the contrary, thin and lightweight paper is cost-friendly and the more popular option when trying to be more economical, i.e, in the distribution of leaflets, brochures etc.
2. Now, we shall discuss a few of the most commonly used paper types in printing:

I. Coated paper: Coated paper, or glossy paper is considered a staple in the printing business. It is used in numerous brackets of content, from magazines to hand out brochures and leaflets. This form of paper is used when the goal is to increase sharpness and vibrance in colour, especially in those prints containing pictures.

II. Uncoated paper: Uncoated paper lies in the opposite of the coated ones. It is used in a lot of different mediums just like coated paper, and is used to give the print a natural and textured feel. This type of paper is commonly used in books, letterheads and minimalistic flyers. 

Matching Paper Types to Your Print Materials:

1. Brochures: Compared to other products of the same criteria as brochures, they have a thicker and more premium feel compared to almost all of them. Generally, heavier and coated paper (e.g, 170-300 GSM) works best for brochures, to maintain the exclusive and high-quality feel.
2. Flyers: As flyers are generally mass-distributed to broad audiences, lighter, cost-friendly and lighter paper (e.g, 90-160 GSM) is the way to go to keep the eye-catching element of the product, despite the cost effectiveness.
3. Business cards and invitations: Business cards and invitations are generally smaller in size compared to the previously discussed prints, but they remain one of the most expensive articles to print because of their thickness and weight. 300-400 GSM is the right way to proceed so that the prints remain as cost-friendly as possible, yet maintain the formal and impressive look.

Choosing the Right Print Finish:

While paper types and GSMs are important, so are the finishing touches of the print. Here are some commonly used finishing types in print:

1. Gloss finish: Just like glossy paper, if you want to bring out the vibrance of a print and make it pop, you need to use a gloss finish. This type of finishing is ideal for brochures, flyers and photos of great quality.
2. Matte finish: To put it simply, matte finish is more or less the polar opposite of gloss finish. It offers a more minimalistic, subdued and elegant look in prints. Matte finish is crucial in materials where readability and premium feel is essential, like in minimalistic flyers and business cards.
3. Satin finish: Satin finishing is the perfect balance between gloss and matte finish, and can be used to provide an eye-catching glare without losing the softness and delicacy of the material.

There are also numerous other forms of finishes like embossing, foil stamping, UV spot, etc., which can be used to give a unique and exclusive feel to your print.

Conclusion: 

In this discussion, we talked about topics such as understanding paper types, matching paper types and choosing the right print finish, to cover the entire plethora of printing choices in a specific material.

In the end of this blog, I encourage you lovely readers to consult experts and truly consider all the types and choices of paper, from its type to thickness, as well as the different finishes with unique features, to choose the best option in your future print projects. Carpe diem!