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Choosing
Paper for inner pages
The design of
your document is the most important part of creating a printed piece,
but choosing the appropriate paper comes next. Good quality paper
always makes a good impression but good design on an inexpensive
paper can be very effective too.
Knowing which
type of paper is best for a certain type of printing project is
the only way to select the best paper for the job. The choices for
both cover material and paper for inner pages are wide ranging but
basic knowledge of paper will reduce those choices..
You have to
consider price vs. impact: with a very expensive paper but a low
quantity print run, the price of paper is not really a cost factor
in the printing price. On the other hand, with a large print run
the paper can be a significant cost factor.
Types of
Paper
In on-demand
book production the most usual choice for cover is either uncoated
approximately 225 g/m² or similar weigth carton which is coated
only from one side (the outside). The inner pages are usually 80
or 100 g/m² copypaper or offsetpaper, depending on the printer
used.
Coated Papers
are not ideal for the inner pages as the surface of the paper doesn't
absorb the adhesive easily. With Fastbind binding machines - thanks
to the patented fanning, roughening and adhesive penetration from
above - you can also bind coated inner pages. The pages may be gloss-coated,
dull-coated (a clay or chemical coating), machine-coated (a sheet
is made smooth by a blade running over it during the manufacturing
process), or cast-coated (a high-gloss coating used for the highest-quality
premium papers) on one or both sides. Printing ink does not soak
into a coated sheet as much as it does with an uncoated paper, so
coated papers can make halftones and color images look richer. Coated
papers are often used in brochures and annual reports etc.
Uncoated
Papers can be used for both the cover and the inner pages. Good
quality uncoated papers are so smooth that it's hard to tell that
they're not coated. Uncoated papers are manufactured in many textures
and colors.
However, most
uncoated papers are not suitable for use in laser or ink-jet printers.
In some papers that you can get in regular A4 or letter formats
the paper surface is designed for printer's ink. The paper is ok
also for handwriting or typewriting, but maybe unsuitable for laser
printing. It might accept laser toner or ink-jet ink but not particularly
well. Some of these papers also have irregular edges and your printer
cannot grab an edge unless it is straight.
Some of these
papers are also textured or heavily embossed (have raised or depressed
paper surfaces). If you run these through your laserprinter, the
pressure rollers would crush the embossing and in an ink-jet the
head might leave marks on the raised areas.
Acid free
paper. In archiving you might need papers that are produced
acid free. These products usually contain an excess of 2% buffers
and are considered archival in relation to the effects of natural
aging. The pH of this process is normally between 7.5 and 9.
Bond
is often used for stationery (letterheads etc) as it takes ink well
from a typewriter or a pen. This absorbency comes partly from the
paper's rag content (the percentage of cotton fiber in a sheet of
bond) which also contributes to the feel, surface, look through
and "sound" of bond and writing papers.
If the printed
letterhead is to be embellished with an additional process, imprinted
on a small press or used in office copiers, the need for proper
grain orientation should be considered and the printer should be
consulted. Even if you can use some bond papers quite well in laser
or inkjet printers (not many people use pen or typewriter for documents
today) you'd better test before choosing.
Book paper
is used in printing houses for books and textbooks. Usually
antique (rough) or smooth finishes and a good choice of weights.
Offset papers
are similar to the coated and uncoated sheets, except that they
have
sizing added to resist the moisture that occurs in offset printing.
The paper is also more moist than a paper designed for photocopying
Copy Paper
is dryer than an offset paper as it is intended for laser- or photocopying
which actually use heat to attach the color into the paper. Offset
paper with more moisture can start to roll if used in a copier or
laser printer.
Index papers
are used for cards or tabs and are sometimes used in place of the
more
expensive cover stocks. They come in a smooth or vellum finish.
Newsprint papers are used for newspapers. The sheets are
not as white as other papers, and ink tends to soak into them. Relatively
inexpensive and therefore suit well for the large volumes of newspaper
but they are not often used in bookbinding.
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