The paper is another important element to take into account when printing. You need to see what is more convenient for you according to what you need. Some of the factors to take into account are:

Paper grammage.

Grammage is the thickness or body of the paper, measured in grams. They generally vary from 60 to 350 grams (used in printing companies). A typical grammage is 80 grams, since it is the photocopy and book paper grammage. A post card may have near 250 grams, and a folder may have 300 grams of paper. In the case of a three-page leaflet or a catalogue, they are usually done in shiny plaster paper on a 115-gram paper approximately.

Paper type

Although the paper offer has been increasing year by year, the papers usually used for printing are the following:

Offset Paper:

This is the paper used in photocopies or laser printers. It has color variety. It is basically to be written on and it is usually used in envelopes, invoices, photocopies, books, letter paper, etc. It has “fluff”, that is to say, the paper texture can be seen.

Plaster paper:

It is a bit more expensive and it is usually used in magazines, catalogues or three-page leaflets. It cannot be written on, since it is a shiny paper. It comes in two types of finish:

Shiny plaster

Matte plaster

Paper finish.

It is worth point out that this is an extra resource and it is, thus, charged separately. However, a certain finish is usually added to make the work more stylish or to make it more lasting or resistant. The most common finishes are:

Matte sheeting: A matte plastic layer is added, covering the work. Mate sheeting makes it look softer and tends to remove the paper shine.

Shiny sheeting: A shiny plastic layer is added, covering the work. Matte sheeting makes the paper shiner and it tends to make the colors look more vivid.

Special papers: It is generally recommended to measure each printing company’s stock since, mostly in short print runs, it usually increases a lot the project cost. On the other hand, many «special papers» have ink permeability and, therefore, less visual impact. That is why it may not behave appropriately on printing. If you still wish to print using a certain special paper, you would rather ask the designer or the printing company.