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Choosing Paper

Two Sides Booklet
St Austell Printing Company - how to choose the right paper, paper type and weight for your printing project.

Have you decided on your paper?

You will need to decide on the thickness or weight of your paper before ordering your print.

Paper has a significant part to play in design – the paper stock you choose will have a dramatic influence on the look and feel of your printed artwork.

Paper gsm

When choosing your paper weight, you’ll have to select the gsm of your paper stock.

Gsm is generally used as a guide to paper thickness, although it actually refers to a paper’s weight in grams per square metre. Two different paper stocks may have the same gsm however one could feel thicker than the other.

The thickness of paper is measure in microns although paper stock generally tends to be labelled by it’s weight in gsm.

Finish

Paper stocks have different finishes. It’s difficult to describe the look and feel of paper in words, but here goes:

  • Silk: Smooth and coated paper, the majority of printed materials such as leaflets and brochures are printed on silk stock.
  • Uncoated: Slightly rough to the touch, uncoated stock or photocopying paper that’s commonly used for lots of brochures it feels ever so slightly grainy with an under-finished look.
  • Gloss: Easily recognisable, gloss paper is very shiny – you’d know it when you see it.

We have a stock of paper which we use but we can source specialist paper, you just have to ask our team.

If you’re not sure what paper you want, then get in touch. You can either pop in to our Print Shop or we can send you a sample.

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