Through the whole process of researching for 'Design for Print' I've found myself getting excited over quite a lot of things and one of these is paper stock, the feel, smell, colour, textures, everything about it makes me excited as a designer. Stock is just as important as the design and print if not more important because it's what the end user physically feels and touches. Stock also affects the overall finish of the design depending on the quality, weight, finish, colour.
Brief history
The word paper comes from the ancient Egyptian writing material called papyrus, which was woven from papyrus plants. Ts’ai Lun described the modern method of papermaking in AD 105; he was the first person to describe how to make paper from cotton rags. It spread slowly outside of China; other East Asian cultures, even after seeing paper, could not figure out how to make it themselves. Instruction in the manufacturing process was required, and the Chinese were reluctant to share their secrets.
Papermaking only spread after further commercial trading and the defeat of the Chinese in the Battle of Talas, the invention spread to the Middle East, where it was adopted in India and subsequently in Italy in about the 13th century. They used hemp and linen rags as a source of fibre. The oldest known paper document in the West is the Missal of Silos from the 11th century.
Paper remained a luxury item through the centuries, until the advent of steam-driven papermaking machines in the 19th century, which could make paper with fibres from wood pulp. Although older machines predated it, the Fourdrinier machine became the basis for most modern papermaking. (Below)
Types of paper
Coated
Paper with a clay or other coating applied to one or both sides is coated paper. The coating can be dull, gloss, matte, or other finishes. Coated paper generally produces sharper, brighter images and has a better reflectivity than uncoated paper.
Coated paper typically is smoother and has better ink holdout meaning it is less absorbent than uncoated paper, making it more suitable for certain types of overprint finishing techniques such as flood or spot coating with varnish or other finishing coatings. The coating may be applied while the paper is still going through the paper making machine or it may be applied afterwards. Clay, latex and other substances are mixed to create the coating.
Uncoated
Uncoated paper is used everyday for general office printing, newspaper and book printing. Uncoated papers are better for writing on and reading from. They have a matt finish and are available with lots of different textures. Heavier weights of uncoated papers are also available for use on business cards etc. Uncoated papers are more porous than coated papers, this means that ink tends to seep into the fibres of the paper. Colours will appear differently when printed on uncoated versus coated papers. Most recycled paper is uncoated.
Coated vs Uncoated
If creating a full colour document featuring photographs or colourful illustrations a coated paper gives the most vibrant of colours. The choice of gloss, silk or matt finish is mostly down to personal preference, although gloss paper will produce the most vibrant colour reproduction, some people think that gloss is classy and more professional but others consider it to be a bit tacky. If the document is being printed conventionally on silk and matt papers should normally be machine sealed to avoid any images being smudged. This may add to the cost of printing. Uncoated paper can be used for full colour projects but colours tend to be less vibrant and unless a low quality bond paper is used, it could end up costing considerably more than if a coated stock.
If an accurate colour reproduction across a range of different documents is needed, it is advised to use the same stock throughout.
Coloured Stock
While printing on a white, coated sheet is a safe option, selecting a coloured stock opens up new possibilities and allows for a different stream of your creativity to flow.
Depending on the colour of the paper you choose, CMYK will have a dramatically different look. Printed on a cream stock, they have a warmer feel, printed on a paper with a blue or cool hue; the image highlights will be the colour of the paper thus reducing the image’s contrast.
Using coloured stock allows you to add another colour to the printing process without the cost of using another plate. It all depends on the quantity of you're printing, if it's just a short run coloured stock will be cheaper but if a long run it works out cheaper to create another plate and print the colour onto ordinary coloured stock. Doing this will result in white around the edges and when folded, this is something to bear in mind.
Weight (GSM)
Outside of North America paper is weighed in grams per square metre (GSM). This system measures the weight of all papers without taking into account their size or grade.
35gsm to 55gsm: This is very thin paper indeed. Most newspapers will commonly be printed on this paper thickness.
90gsm to 100gsm: This is the weight of most household printer paper. The stuff you might pick up in packs of 500 sheets at the office depot.
120gsm to 140gsm: This GSM range covers the paper thickness of most posters you’re likely to find on pub walls etc. Paper with this GSM is sturdy enough to withstand a bit of wear and tear. Its also the thickness of low-cost flyers you might have had posted through your front door by takeaways.
210gsm to 300gsm: Moving onto premium flyers now. This GSM range will cover most of the sturdy printed flyers you get given in the high street. This paper stock range is approaching card but will still have a bit of a bend when held with two fingers. Think of the magazine covers you see on the racks at newsagents.
350gsm to 400gsm: This GSM is essentially card. It will stand up under its own weight and is most commonly associated with business cards. As well, it is likely to be the stock that high-quality wedding invitations are printed on.
Producers
GF Smith
GFSmith is an independent British company that has been providing the creative world with inspiration for over a century. From the early endeavours of our founders, through determination in challenging times, to the vision of our present-day team, our history is characterised by the zealous spirit of our people. This is because, in essence, we are a family company; firstly, in the fact that generations of certain families have worked here, but also because we have remained a self-owned business with integrity and a close-knit community.
Fedrigoni
Since its foundation in 1888, Fedrigoni has specialised in fine paper for printing, editing, labels, bookbinding, packaging and paper products. While this remains very much at the heart of the business, the company continually creates new paper processes and technologies that satisfy the ever-changing aesthetic and technical demands of the market. Thanks to an advanced logistics system benefiting from 11 warehouse branches in Italy and seven abroad, Fedrigoni builds strong relationships with customers and provides them with highly tailored services, with very fast turnaround times. By collaborating closely with customers, Fedrigoni creates specially customised paper products along with the 2,500 standard items that are always in stock.
- Marked paper
- Parchment and transparent paper
- Ecological and recycled paper
- High-density paper
- Cast-coated high-gloss paper
- Pearlescent paper
- Embossed paper
- Laid and watermarked paper
- Paper for digital toner, laser and inkjet printers
- Wood-free offset paper in white and ivory
- Machine-coated glossy paper
- Pulp-coloured paper
Formats
Format refers to the size conventions in modern day paper, it's important to know that there are more formats out there than just the A-Series which we have become used to with word processors and other modern softwares.
ISO Sizes
ISO sizes are the most common paper sizes used throughout the world today, with the US and Canada the most notable exceptions. All ISO 216 and 269 have the same aspect ratio of square root of 2. The system is developed from the principle of having an original paper size and successive paper sizes are formed by halving the preceding paper along the longer side. Probably the most frequently used paper size in the world, especially in the office environment is obviously the A4 size - 210mm x 297mm. So in simple terms each ISO paper size is half the area of the next size up.
A Series
The A series are probably the most common paper formats in the world with everyone pretty much used to interacting with A5, A4 and A3 sizes in everyday life. The basis of the A series is a base size of A0 which has an area of 1 metre squared. This is then halved lengthways for successive paper sizes which go as low as A10. The beauty of the system is it allows scaling without any proportional compromise, for example blowing A4 up to A3 won't be a problem, the aspect ratio is exactly the same.
B Series
In addition to the A series, there is a less common B series. The area of B series sheets is the geometric mean of successive A series sheets, B1 is between A0 and A1 in size. While less common in office use, it is used for a variety of special situations. Many posters use B-series paper or a close approximation and it's relatively common choice for books. The B series is also used for envelopes and passports.
C Series
The C series is used only for envelopes and is defined in ISO 269. The area of C series sheets is the geometric mean of the areas of the A and B series sheets of the same number; for instance, the area of a C4 sheet is the geometric mean of the areas of an A4 sheet and a B4 sheet. This doesn't really apply much to what I want to do, I'll mainly focus on A and B series for my print book.
| Format | A series[3] | B series[4] | C series[5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | mm × mm | in × in | mm × mm | in × in | mm × mm | in × in |
| 0 | 841 × 1189 | 33.11 × 46.81 | 1000 × 1414 | 39.37 × 55.67 | 917 × 1297 | 36.10 × 51.06 |
| 1 | 594 × 841 | 23.39 × 33.11 | 707 × 1000 | 27.83 × 39.37 | 648 × 917 | 25.51 × 36.10 |
| 2 | 420 × 594 | 16.54 × 23.39 | 500 × 707 | 19.69 × 27.83 | 458 × 648 | 18.03 × 25.51 |
| 3 | 297 × 420 | 11.69 × 16.54 | 353 × 500 | 13.90 × 19.69 | 324 × 458 | 12.76 × 18.03 |
| 4 | 210 × 297 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 250 × 353 | 9.84 × 13.90 | 229 × 324 | 9.02 × 12.76 |
| 5 | 148.5 × 210 | 5.83 × 8.27 | 176 × 250 | 6.93 × 9.84 | 162 × 229 | 6.38 × 9.02 |
| 6 | 105 × 148.5 | 4.13 × 5.83 | 125 × 176 | 4.92 × 6.93 | 114 × 162 | 4.49 × 6.38 |
| 7 | 74 × 105 | 2.91 × 4.13 | 88 × 125 | 3.46 × 4.92 | 81 × 114 | 3.19 × 4.49 |
| 8 | 52 × 74 | 2.05 × 2.91 | 62 × 88 | 2.44 × 3.46 | 57 × 81 | 2.24 × 3.19 |
| 9 | 37 × 52 | 1.46 × 2.05 | 44 × 62 | 1.73 × 2.44 | 40 × 57 | 1.57 × 2.24 |
| 10 | 26 × 37 | 1.02 × 1.46 | 31 × 44 | 1.22 × 1.73 | 28 × 40 | 1.10 × 1.57 |
RA & SRA Sizes
RA & SRA sizes are most prominently used in professional printing. The basis behind the sizes is to have sizes that are just slightly larger than conventional A series sizes allowing full bleed printing with minimum cut-away.
RA stands for "raw format A" and is conceptually defined as being 105% of the A series size, thus as A0 has an area of 1 square metre RA0 has an area of 1.05 square metres.
SRA stands for "supplementary raw format A" and is conceptually defined as being 115% of the A series size, so a sheet of SRA0 paper has an area of 1.15 square metres. In reality the sizes are rounded to the nearest centimetre or nearest half centimetre.
| RA | Series Formats | SRA | Series Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| RA0 | 860 × 1220 | SRA0 | 900 × 1280 |
| RA1 | 610 × 860 | SRA1 | 640 × 900 |
| RA2 | 430 × 610 | SRA2 | 450 × 640 |
| RA3 | 305 × 430 | SRA3 | 320 × 450 |
| RA4 | 215 × 305 | SRA4 | 225 × 320 |