What other paper characteristics are important?
After paper weight, brightness is probably the next most important characteristic. In full-color printing, a brighter paper will generally provide a sharper, more pleasing printed result versus a less bright paper. Conquest Graphics uses papers with a brightness ranging from 88 to 96, ensuring a crisp vibrant printed image.
Caliper, or the measured thickness of paper, is another important specification. In most cases, caliper is related to weight, but not always. Sometimes, a paper may be the same basis weight as another paper, but its caliper could be greater or smaller than the comparable sheet. A micrometer may be used to measure the caliper of a paper. If in doubt, it’s always best to measure!
Opacity is important to consider for text weight papers, as heavy ink coverage may lead to show-through. Your best bet for reducing show-through is to select 100# coated text weight paper for your brochure, flyer, or catalog printing projects.
Other factors to consider are grain direction, coating, and ink.
Grain direction can have an impact on how flexible your printed piece will be. This is especially true for postcard printing, because the postcard will be less flexible if the grain direction is parallel to the longer dimension of the postcard. We can’t guarantee grain direction, since we may need to change grain direction in order to facilitate folding, fit to the press sheet, or other finishing operations.
There are two main types of paper coating. The first type of coating is the coating that is applied to the paper at the mill before the image is printed on the paper. These manufacturer-applied coatings may be glossy, dull, or somewhere in between. At Conquest Graphics, our standard products are printed on glossy coated paper. This glossy paper coating improves the printed appearance of images when compared to uncoated paper, because the coatings allow for better ink control.
The second type of coating is applied after the image is printed on the paper. These coatings are typically water-based coatings and are called aqueous coatings. Like the manufacturer-applied coatings, these coatings may be glossy, dull or somewhere in between. Aqueous coatings can only be applied to manufacturer-coated paper, as the aqueous coating will soak into an uncoated sheet, and not be noticeable. Aqueous coatings further improve the final printed appearance, increase durability while reducing ink smudging, and allow the printed sheets to be handled and finished sooner. Aqueous coatings reduce the time required for ink drying.
Ink is another factor in the paper selection process. We use vegetable-based inks that are more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based inks, and also provide sharper, cleaner printed color. Our inks are subject to stringent quality-control testing that helps ensure that ink color characteristics are consistent from project to project.