Printing Tips- about paper...

How to Order Printing

Paper? OMG!

Besides knowing something about paper size, know:

● Text weight is “regular” paper:

○ 20lb bond is light weight copy paper

○ 24-60lb is good for 2-sided B&W printing

○ 80lb-100lb text is best for color printing

● Card Stock is heavier paper:

○ 67lb Vellum Bristol is good for booklet covers or light weight cards

○ 65lb Vellum Bristol is heavier (don't ask me why)

○ 80-100lb cover is good for postcards or “rack” cards (i.e. 8.5 x 3.666 brochures you put in a “rack” in a hotel or visitor's center)

● White vs Colored Paper:

○ White or cream is always nice for text documents like resumes or booklets.

○ Gloss white is preferable for full color printing-  the paper doesn't “drink” the ink and make it look dull. 

○ On the other hand, Britehue colored paper is great for black ink as it makes it “pop” - an affordable way to do flyers, or simple brochures or posters. Pastel paper is less expensive than Britehue if you just want to print on a colored paper background.

● Textured paper vs smooth paper: 

○ Linen or laid paper (either in text or cover) have traditionally been used for formal presentations and come in varieties of white, cream and ivory.

○ There are other papers with less texture, but that still have “tooth” as opposed to a smooth finish. Some “writing” papers fall into this category, with percentages of cotton or fiber in the weave, and often have a watermark. These are also good for formal letterhead or printed resumes. A felt finish would also be in this category and makes a nice invitation.

○ Textured paper is great for projects that you want to be noticed with touch.

○ Most paper is going to have a smooth finish and is good for anything from reports to booklets, to color copies, brochures, signs, posters, etc.

Your Print Provider will most likely have particular kinds of  paper he likes or would recommend for your job, as that is what runs best on his equipment and he keeps stocked or knows he can order easily. 

Printing Tips

How to Order Printing

about paper...

• ○ Know the paper size you are starting with: 

8.5 x 11 is the regular size that fits in a home or office printer

11 x 17 is twice as big 

8.5 x 14 is Legal size

• oKnow the finished size of your piece (take a blank piece of paper and fold or cut it)

For instance, a newsletter is typically an 11 x 17 folded to 8.5 x 11

If it gets mailed, it's folded again to 5.5 x 8.5.

An invitation is often 5.5 x 8.5 folded to 4.25 x 5.5 (which fits nicely into a small A2 envelope.

Postcards can be anything from 4.25 x 5.5 to 5.5 x 8.5 or larger, but they should not be square- (the post office doesn't like that)

Your Print Provider will want to know the flat size of the piece to be printed as well as the final folded size, if it gets folded.

•  tKnow the quantity – how many do you want to end up with? If asking for a quote, What's the least amount you can use – What is the most ? 

Do Not try to “help” your Print Provider by telling him how many pieces of  paper you want- if you set something up and are getting 4 on a page, unless you are doing the cutting, stick to the number of finished pieces as the quantity to ask for. What the Printer wants to know, is how many of the finished size you want. He will take your file and set it up to run on his equipment, which might mean he's using a larger piece of paper and getting more “up” on a sheet.