EXPLORING AND SELECTING PAPERS

Handout information - selecting paper stocks and weights, print specifications, quotations and colour reproduction

Coated paper

Paper with a clay or other coating applied to one or both sides is coated paper. Coated papers are available in a gloss, silk (sometimes called a satin) or matt finish and are used for projects requiring a fine finish, which is why coated paper is sometimes referred to as 'art' paper. Coated paper generally produces sharper, brighter images and has better reflectivity than uncoated paper. Coated paper is used to print brochures, leaflets and poster and a wide range of design for print formats, especially high volume print runs.

Uncoated paper

Paper that does not have any kind of coating applied is uncoated paper. Through not having a coating this stock is not as smooth as a coated page. Uncoated paper is available in many different finishes, colours, and weights and is generally more absorbent that coated paper. Premium quality uncoated paper is used for business stationary, and commonly used in laser printers. Uncoated stocks are also used as an alternative or in conjunction to coated stocks in a wide range of design for print disciplines. Uncoated papers are available in a range of finishes:

1. Wove

Paper man on a closely woven wire roller or mould and having a faint mesh pattern. Wove is a popular sheet for stationary and book publishing. Wove is a premium quality paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed or textured like a laid paper.

2. Laid

Laid paper is a premium quality paper with a textured pattern of parallel lines, similar to hand made paper, commonly used for business stationary. 

3. Bond

An economic, uncoated wove paper, often used for copyright or laser printers. A higher quality bond stock can be used for letterheads.

Weight of paper

It is normal practice to specify the weight of paper in GM or GSM abbreviations for 'grams per square metre'. This indicates the weight of paper or other stock. For example, a typical photocopier paper is 80gsm, a good letterhead paper might be 120 gsm, a postcard would be about 300gsm.

As papers are graded by weight, one manufacturer's 150gsm paper may seem slightly bulkier or thicker than a competitor's product. A paper's GSM rating is a good guide to how thick or stiff the paper will feel but always ask for paper samples if you're unsure. Card or board as it is usually called in the industry is sometimes measured in microns, a micron is 1000th of a millimetre. 

Paper sizes

SRA size paper is used by commercial printing companies. It is slightly larger than the A series to provide room for grip, trim and bleed. These paper series are untrimmed raw paper. RA stands for "raw format A" and SRA stands for "supplementary raw format A". The RA and SRA formats are slightly larger than the corresponding A series formats. These paper sheets will after printing and binding be cut to match the A format.

Bleed

This prevents unwanted white borders around the edges of a printed document. It is not possible to print all the way to the edge of the paper sheet. To achieve this effect it is necessary to print a larger area than is require and then trim the paper down. Bleed is an essential part of creating artwork for print. A design will always extend or 'bleed background element and images beyond the edges of the document by an additional 3mm'.

Paper sizes

A0 - 841 x 1189 mm

A1 - 594 x 841mm

A2 - 420 x 594mm

A3 - 297 x 420mm

A4 - 210 x 297mm

A5 - 148 x 210mm

A6 - 105 x 148mm

SRA0 - 900 x 1280mm

SRA1 - 640 x 900mm

SRA2 - 450 x 640mm

SRA3 - 320 x 450mm

SRA4 - 225 x 320mm

Information from handout