In this blog, we try to cover some of the frequent questions about picking the right paper asked by our customers at All American Printing and Advertisement.

While the United States, China, and Japan are the most significant paper producing countries, the global production of paper and cardboard stood at almost 419.7 million metric tons in 2017.

Americans use 90 million tons of paper and paperboard every year.

Today, many companies face a recession and suffer from economic downtime. Board members are concerned and find themselves in budget discussions. If you don’t choose your spending right, you might suffer heavy consequences.

Paper you’ll buy for the copier in your office will be different from those you print wedding invites on, which are different from sheets you print photographs. Knowing a bit about right paper helps you to prevent wasting money and pick the right paper for your purpose.

Why choosing the right paper matter for printing?

You can save money and get better results if you know a bit more about the right paper. To get a better knowledge and understanding of what is the right paper for your particular needs, these are some of the most important factors; how they will influence the look, feel, and overall cost of your print.

Picking the right paper is more complicated than just choosing the most expensive sheet and keeping your fingers crossed.

In fact, you shouldn’t think about picking the right paper based on the highest quality you can afford or the highest quality available. Instead, you should figure out the most suitable quality paper for your needs because most suitable equals perfect.

A typical sheet of printer paper does not exist in the market. Right papers used for printing come to vary in sizes, colors, weights, textures (degrees of thickness), and styles. However, Printer paper can be divided into a few general groups:

Printer paper

• General-purpose paper:

The standard photocopier paper is the best general-purpose paper used in the market.

• Inkjet paper:

Try to get a specific inkjet paper If you want good results, but you have to pay more for that paper. The higher-quality inkjet paper is best for printing colors that soaks the inks well.

• Large-size paper:

Some printers can handle larger-size paper, such as tabloid or legal sizes. If this is the case, tell your application that you’re using a different-size sheet of paper and make sure that you load the paper correctly.

• Specialty papers:

Such as photographic papers. Just ensure that the paper you get is made for your type of printer — inkjet or laser.

What to consider in Choosing printer paper?

Right paper can have a considerable amount of impact on the final product as ink and the design. Shade, weight, and brightness (or whiteness, depending on the brand) are the three fundamental properties that apply to nearly all right paper types. The right paper that is used will play the most significant role in how the result comes out of the printer.

3 Things to consider when choosing printer paper:

• Coated vs. Uncoated paper
• Weight and thickness of the paper stock
• Brightness and opacity

Coated paper

When you are looking to make an excellent first impression or make a statement with what you are printing, then you will want to look into coated printer paper. The three most common coating/finishes are; gloss, dull, and matte.

Uncoated Paper

When it comes to everyday printing of documents, it is generally accepted to use plain white letter paper (often called copy paper). This is because, for the most part, what is being printed is for short term consumption and not really going to be kept for any length of time.

What printer paper is best for photos?

Generally, you’re recommended to use branded printer papers with their respective printer. Epson, HP, and Canon all have their collections of printer media that can be used with your device.

What printer paper is best for business documents?

The brighter the paper, the more vivid letters and colors will be. This kind of paper is perfect for documents that need to be preserved and important printing professional certificates.

It’s advised to use standard weight printer paper (80-90 g/m2) for printing emails and faxes as they are the most economical and jam-resistant. Heavyweight papers should be reserved for color laser machines and are ideal for heavy-coverage documents and professional presentations.

Weight and thickness of the paper

When choosing paper-weight, consider how you’ll use the paper. Heavier paper is excellent for professional documents, while the standard-weight paper is best for everyday use.

The calculation of weight is based on how much a pack of 500 sheets of a specific size of paper weighs is known as paper-weight. Heavier, the weight will translate into a thicker piece of paper. The paper stock is typically separated into three distinct categories; Bond, Text, and Cover:

• Bond – Bond paper, in general, is the lightest of the three types of paper and is commonly used as copy paper. It is generally found inside most of the printers in the world.
• Text – Text paper is used when there is a need for light to medium weight paper. You will find text weight paper mostly in the envelope industry.
• Cover – Cover paper stock is generally the thickest of all of the paper stock, and it includes those used for printing business cards and other types of cards. A cardstock printer also comes handy for this type of work.

Brightness and opacity of the right paper

The opacity or amount of light that can pass through the paper can be significant, depending on what is the purpose of using paper. The more translucent the paper is, the more light will show through it. The way it is categorized is by percentage, and the higher the number, the less amount of light that will be allowed to shine through it.

The brightness of the paper depicts the amount of light that reflects off the surface of the page. It is expressed in a percentage, which is shown in a range from 0 to 100. You will typically find paper rated from the 60-90 range. However, when you want your text or the colors that are in your images to really pop, you want to have the paper that has a brightness number as close to 100 as possible.

What are the most durable kinds of paper?

In general, the thicker the paper is, the more durable It will be, but depending on how it is coated, this process can change quickly.

Conclusion

The right paper can make or break what your printing will look like.

All American Printing and Advertising puts great effort into design and printing work to achieve the best result for you. Our slogan is ‘actions prove who someone is. Words prove who they want to be.’

So let us show you our experience in designing and printing industry. Please share with us your experience in the comment section below. Also, to hire us, send your file through the “Get Quote” section on the menu, and we will get back to you ASAP.