Paper. In the world of printing it’s the material your message is presented on. It’s touchy feely and has a huge impact on how your message is received. The paper you use is often as important as the graphics. For some audiences, the paper is the most important aspect of the printed piece.
Paper possibilities are wide and varied: coated gloss, silk, dull, matte, cast coated, uncoated smooth, vellum, linen, felt, opaque, translucent, synthetic….to name just a few varieties. Paper can be made using wood pulp, cotton fiber, and polypropylene pellets. It can contain natural minerals and organic pigments. There’s even paper made from stone! (http://www.stonepaper.co.nz/).
The paper chosen for your printed communication will directly effect how your graphics reproduce. Each paper has it’s own characteristic as to how it receives ink. Some are porous and absorb ink, others are hard and the ink dries on the surface. The same image on different paper surfaces can look incredibly different in it’s final printed reproduction.
The paper you choose is part of your message. When your target audience is holding your printed piece in their hand, what exactly are you communicating?
Posting by: Todd Gould, VP Sales
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