Are you choosing your paper, right?

The printing process needs two basic ingredients, a substrate (printing surface) and a solvent (ink). These two elements are required for any printing job. The different combinations of these two elements will give different printing outputs. In the market, you may find various brands, qualities, features, sizes, quantities of both these elements. It’s up to you what to choose and what is essential for the printing job you are planning to produce.

Here, we will talk about one of the most crucial elements in printing i.e., Paper. After reading this blog, you will be aware of various types of Paper materials and their respective uses in the printing process. So, let’s begin!

History of Paper: Today we see various forms and types of papers available in the market. The first papermaking process was documented in China during the Eastern Han period (25–220 CE) traditionally attributed to the court official Cai Lun. During the 8th century, Chinese papermaking spread to the Islamic world, where pulp mills and paper mills were used for papermaking and money-making. (Ref: Wikipedia)

The evidence of paper used on the Indian subcontinent appears first in the second half of the 7th century. The earliest Sanskrit paper manuscript found was a paper copy of the Shatapatha Brahmana in Kashmir, dated to 1089, while the earliest Sanskrit paper manuscripts in Gujarat dated between 1180 and 1224. (Ref: Wikipedia)

Since then, Paper has gone through numerous processes and tremendous transformations. The paper that you use has a significant impact on the colours that you see. Even if you use the same ICC profile and the same printer, printing on a different paper can result in a very different colour appearance.

Colours can change from paper to paper, particularly if you change from coated to uncoated paper or from sheet-fed to continuous forms paper. The changes can be so noticeable that printer manufacturers generally test and certify papers with certain characteristics for use with their printers. They also create different ICC profiles for their printers that are based on paper characteristics.

Paper Type: Paper may be defined in terms of its use. Each grade serves a purpose, usually suggested by its grade name. Some of the most common classifications of printed papers are coated, uncoated, laid, Wove, bond, recycled, & more. Let’s know about the types of paper in detail:

• Coated Paper: This kind of paper as the title suggests, has a type of coating on it that is usually made of China clay and is used to produce a silky finish. The coated paper also has some glossy finish that may be silky or matt and is best suited for projects requiring a fine finish. This is the reason why the coated paper is also referred to as art paper and is the finest example of this paper stock. It is the paper that is used to print leaflets, menus, pamphlets and brochures that are so common in your mail advertising all manner of products and services.

• Uncoated Paper: Clearly, this is paper that does not have the China clay coating or glossy finish on them. They are not as smooth as the coated papers, as it has a slightly grainy texture to it This is the most common form of paper found in your local stationery supplier and is ideal for use in laser printers and photocopiers. It is also the preferred paper type for business stationery and is widely used for this purpose. Uncoated paper is becoming more and more popular for the printing of prestigious brochures and catalogues for companies who want to give a more natural feel to their image but without the expense of recycled material, and for this reason it’s the best alternative for the coated art paper. This category of paper type is also available in several varieties such as:

• Laid paper: This is a premium quality paper that is often textured in patterns such as parallel lines. Some of these patterns are handmade and this is the choicest paper for business stationery and gives it an air of prestige and class.
• Wove paper: This is also premium quality paper like the laid paper but they lack the textured or ribbed patterns found in laid paper. This paper is also widely used for business stationery. It is however not as classy as the laid paper when it comes to business stationery.
• Bond paper: This is the most common type of uncoated paper and is readily found in many offices, big and small. It is known as economical paper or uncoated wove paper. This is the paper type commonly used for your fax machines or photocopiers.
• Recycled paper: Recycled material is as it states, made from renewable or re-usable paper pulp. There are many different types of recycled material including part recycled and fully recycled. Usually, the higher the percentage that the paper has been recycled the more likely it is to become off white. High-white material is normally down to the fact it’s been highly manufactured and paper fibres are bleached to obtain the highest white colour possible. Most recycled material resembles an off white, but this is not detrimental to the finished product, the only enhances its ‘sustainable’ qualities. Moreover, Recycled paper is more expensive than others.

Paper GSM: Different types of papers comes with different characteristics; the primary element is the GSM of the paper. The term “GSM” stands for “grams per square meter.” For this standard, the weight of various types of paper is measured from a sample sheet cut to one square meter in size. No matter the length or width the paper becomes, the weight measurement is always taken from the square meter sheet. Sharing with you the GSM ranges of few papers which are used commonly in India.

• Coated Paper (Art paper):
  • Art paper: 90 gsm / 100 gsm / 130 gsm / 170 gsm
  • Art Card: 210 gsm / 250 gsm /300 gsm / 350 gsm
• Uncoated Paper:
  • 47 gsm /60 gsm / 70 gsm / 80 gsm/90 gsm /100 gsm /120 gsm
• Boards for packaging:
  • 170 gsm /180 gsm/ 230 gsm /250 gsm /280 gsm / 300 gsm/340 gsm/400 gsm

• Paper Sizes Available in standard sizes:
  • Coated and uncoated paper:
    • 23” X 36” / 25” X 36”/ 30” X 40”/ 22” X 28”
  • Boards:
    • 23” X 36” / 25” X 36”/ 31.5‘’ X 41.5”/ 22” X 28”/25” X 42” / 28” X 44” / 25” X 38”

• Grain: The direction in which most fibres lay in a finished sheet of paper is referred to as a grain. Fibre’s flow parallels to the direction in which the paper travels on the paper machine during manufacture. Grain can influence other characteristics of paper. Heavier-weight paper, like cover and Bristol, may fold without scoring when folded parallel to the grain; scoring will be necessary, however, when folding across the grain. A sheet of paper will generally offer greater resistance to being torn against its grain.

  There are two basic classifications of grain: grain long and grain short. Grain long indicates that the paper grain is parallel to the longest measurements of the sheet. The fibres are aligned parallel to the length of the sheet. By contrast, grain short indicates that the paper grain runs at right angles to the longest dimension of the sheet. Fibre alignment in paper with short-grain parallels the sheets shortest.

• The table below provides the dimensions of each paper size. So, whether you just need to know the size name or the measurements, use the below for a quick reference. Table of Paper Sizes from A0 to A10

  Size        Width x Height (mm)       Width x Height (in)

  A0          841 x 1189 mm                 33.1 X 46.8 in

  A1          594 x 841 mm                   23.4 X 33.1 in

  A2          420 x 594 mm                   16.5 X 23.4 in

  A3          297 x 420 mm                   11.7 X 16.5 in

  A4          210 x 297 mm                   8.3 X 11.7 in

  A5          148 x 210 mm                   5.8 X 8.3 in

  A6          105 x 148 mm                   4.1 X 5.8 in

  Finally, once you’ve decided on the type and size of paper, the thickness is the final stage. Weight value of paper is measured in gsm (grams per square meter). The higher the gsm the better quality and feel of the paper.

  We are Print Image guides you the use of appropriate paper for all your printing jobs. Papers are very critical when it comes to environmentally friendly printing. Print Image understands the importance of paper usage and optimizes its use in your printing jobs.

  Contact us at vijay@printimage.co.in or visit https://print-image.in/ for more details.