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Paper
RE:Print works with several major manufacturers to identify papers that are suited for the different demands of today's digital and traditional printing processes.
Choosing the right paper for your project
Paper quality plays an important role in every printing job.
Paper cost includes more than just price
When you assess paper cost, it's important to remember that paper price is only one factor in determining overall paper cost. Your printed image represents you and your business. Inappropriate or bargain-priced paper can produce poor-quality printing that can detract from your business image and even lead to lost sales.
The paper RE:Print recommends for each project is selected to meet the requirements of the job while remaining sensitive to the client's budget.
Factors to consider when choosing paper stock
Consider what you'll be printing. Black-and-white documents are different from color presentations and photography. Unless you're specifically printing photographs that must last for a long time, most digital printing is done on a good, multipurpose paper that will produce crisp blacks and strong colors. Here's a guide to some common paper terminology:
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Weight. Most business paper is 20- to 24-pound (lb) bond. Card stocks are at the heavier end of the scale, usually in the range of 60- to 65-lb when intended for laser or inkjet printers. Metric equivalents are expressed in grams per square meter, abbreviated as g/m2.
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Thickness. Thickness is most often expressed as a unit of measure called a "mil." Generally, thicker media will be stiffer and will resist creases and tears. Different printers and digital copiers will have different limits on the thickness of paper that they can use. Thicker stocks must sometimes be scored to provide a clean fold.
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Brightness. A higher brightness value means that more light is reflected from the surface of the paper, providing crisper text with better contrast and a brighter background for color and images.
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Whiteness. Whiter papers produce sharper, more vibrant colors for photos or presentations, but you must also consider the printing process. The toner in laser printers is opaque and it is fused to the upper surface of the paper. Ink is translucent. Light passes through ink and bounces back from the paper stock, passing back through the ink to the eye. The color and reflective qualities of the paper stock will change the way you perceive the color of an ink.
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Opacity. Opacity describes how well the paper blocks the passage of light through it. Highly opaque media prevent print from showing through to the other side and are considered good for printing on both sides—e.g., for brochures, newsletters, manuals, calendars and other applications where "show-through" is undesirable.
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Finish. Finishes for laser and inkjet papers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with numerous choices for a variety of applications. They range from matte to glossy, with lessening degrees of glossiness, sometimes described as semi-gloss, soft-gloss or satin-gloss. Many people prefer the mirror-like finish of high-gloss media for color photographs, and smooth matte finishes for black-and-white photographs and business documents.
Caution: extremely smooth, shiny or coated papers that aren't specifically designed for certain kinds of printers can cause jams, repel ink — or the coating can even melt inside your printer!
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Surface. Glossier papers provide better reproduction of crisp lines and intense colors, but the glossiest papers are very susceptible to fingerprints. RE:Print often recommends matte papers for materials such as presentations and brochures that will be handled often.
Wondering
about the definition of recycled paper?
Click here
to see a
PDF file with some Government of Canada definitions
Have you heard about environmentally responsible papers?
Click here
for more information about environmentally- and socially-responsible papers.
Download our brochure about choosing paper stocks.
Click here to download a PDF brochure about choosing paper stock