Choosing The Right Paper For Print Project Part 1

Choosing the right paper for a printing job is a very complicated undertaking. You have overwhelming options. Paper influences all the aspects of a print project, together with overall perception, reproduction quality, durability and mailing cost. Choose poorly, and you can spoil an otherwise great project.
To be specific is to consider a lot of aspects. First the surface of the paper because it affects its look, feel and printability. It matters because people are influenced by the appearance of the paper, it is that simple.
In the main there 2 types of paper used in Litho printing:-

1. Uncoated
2. Coated

Both of these types of paper can come in various sheet sizes, colours and different grammages depending on the brand name and which mill or merchant you are dealing with. A reputable printer will have relationships with most if not all the major paper merchants.

Both paper types have sub types which refer to processes involved in producing the paper and as a general rule of thumb, the more complicated the process, the better the paper and typically the more expensive it is.

The details we list here are by no means exhaustive but are designed to give you a clearer picture of the paper types available for your use.

Uncoated sub types

Calandered or Super Calandered - A method of using rollers during paper making, to impart a finish or smoothness. It reduces the thickness and increases the density. Papers are subjected to smoothing and polishing between stacks of highly polished steam heated rollers, either forming part of the paper machine (calendered/machine calendered) or as an off-machine process (supercalendered). Calender rolls on a supercalender may be arranged so that friction as well as pressing is created, resulting in friction glazed papers.
Uncoated paper is what you would normally find in your office copier or printer. Better grades of uncoated paper are used for your company letterheads and compliments slips.

Coated sub types

Paper which has received a coating on one or both sides. Paper may be single, double or triple coated. The more layers of coating, the better quality. The finish may be gloss, silk or matt.

These papers are typically more used for Flyers, Catalogues, Brochures and Magazines.
How the print interacts with the different types of paper

Aside from the tactile feel of the different types of paper, the way printers ink interacts with the paper is also extremely important to take into consideration when planning your next print project. Your print advisor should be able to provide you with printed samples of the main different types of paper to demonstrate how they will interact with the ink when printed. I have attempted to give a very brief and simplified explanation of what you should expect to see with regards to ink interaction on the main types of paper discussed earlier in this document.
Uncoated ordinary calendared paper absorbs ink. This means that the printed image sits within the paper so to achieve a good printed image the printer will need to use a greater amount of ink than in comparison to a coated sheet to achieve the same quality of image. Uncoated paper sends out a message of being conscious of the environment and also about being budget conscious. These types of paper are often used by charities when using print for fundraising materials or reports to their supporters. A key downside to using this type of paper is that due to the amount of ink needed to achieve a good image, it can take longer than normal to dry sufficiently enough before it is converted from a flat sheet to the finished product thus makes these types of material not very well suited to quick turnaround work.
Uncoated Super calendared paper has similar properties to that of normal uncoated paper but with a few important exceptions. Firstly this material tends to be more expensive than using coated materials and will be substantially more expensive than ordinary uncoated paper. Whilst it still uses more ink than coated paper, due to the glaze imparted on the sheet during the manufacturing process, the printed image seems to sit more on the paper as opposed to in. Again this paper tends to take longer to dry before it should be handled for finishing. This paper is commonly used in corporate reports and exclusive product catalogues as it is perceived as being expensive but also environmentally conscious.
Matt or Silk papers are coated papers but the coating is porous so the ink is absorbed into the coating. The resultant effect is that of an image that sits on the paper but has a flat non-reflective finish. Because of this finish this paper is typically used in product brochures catalogues and reports that want to convey a message of understated quality and exclusivity. It is advisable that when printing on Matt or Silk papers that they should be coated with a sealer varnish to ensure that the image will not rub or mark when it is is handled during the finishing process.
Gloss coated paper produces a printed image that seems to sit on the paper and it is bright vibrant and shiny. From a production view point it is the easiest material to print with as it typically dries quicker than the other types of materials mentioned earlier. It is also cheaper to use than matt or silk paper because you do not require a sealer varnish to be applied.

Paper and the Environment

Lets be honest with ourselves, in the overall grand scheme printing isn't a clean business. In its most simplistic form, we cut down a tree, pulp it with water from the local river, add a few minerals we dug out of the ground and create paper. We ship the paper around the world to printers who then cover it in vegetable oil and pigments which in turn is then shipped around the world for consumers to read. It is then either land filled, burnt or if its lucky recycled.

I deliberately broke it down to its most simplistic level because until a few years ago that cycle was most definitively what was happening but without the recycling and also without the social or corporate responsibility that we now have within the print industry. In fact until only a few years ago, very few printers used vegetable based inks and indeed some still don't.

From the paper perspective, the first thing that happened was the trees that were harvested started to come from 'Sustainable Forests' i.e. the mills were planting more trees than they harvested. Now the majority of paper available in the UK is from Sustainable Forest stocks.

As the world woke up to environmental issues, there then came the environmental accreditation programmes such as ISO14001 and EMAS.

EMAS - Eco Management and Audit Scheme
A company accredited with EMAS carries out environmental surveys, formulates an environmental policy, implements an environmental management system (for example ISO 14001), does environmental audits and publishes the results in an ecological annual report. These accounts are monitored by independent assessor.

ISO 14001 - ISO 14001 is a voluntary, international standard;

It provides business management with a framework and tools for a systematic approach to environmental management. This certification standard is set by the International Organisation for Standardisation in Switzerland.

Around the same time a number of other organisations were created to enable consumers to identify that the products they were buying or using were coming from environmentally sound sources and these were known as the FSC and the PEFC.


FSC - FSC stands for Forests Stewardship Council;

An alliance of environmentalists, industry, foresters and indigenous and social groups. Together these groups have collectively set principles and standards to define exactly what is involved in good forest management. Products carrying the FSC logo are made from wood, which has been independently certified as coming from well-managed forests.

PEFC - The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)
Is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.

These days the difference in cost between accredited and non accredited paper is ever diminishing as demand increases so does supply. It is not difficult to foresee a time when all paper will be either FSC or PEFC accredited.
Any printer can supply you with either FSC or PEFC paper which is produced by ISO14001, EMAS accredited mills. But only by using FSC and PEFC accredited printers can you then use the respective logos from these two organisations on your printed material. It is these logos that consumers recognise for the environmental credentials and therefore by association your company is seen to be environmentally conscious.

A reputable and quality print business should be ISO14001 and FSC, PEFC accredited. This is your guarantee that your print is being produced in an environmentally sound manner.