paper stocks

Quick Tips on Choosing The Right Paper for Prints

/ CatPrint / 1 Comment

You have probably stumbled upon this blog because you’re putting together one of your first print orders but just can’t seem to be able to find out what type of paper would be the best for your job. CatPrint is here to help!

First, what do you plan to print? As stated in our “Why You Need to Know About Paper Weight” blog there are two broad categories of paper stocks to choose from:

  1. Text Weight or Letter Paper (light weight): used for newsletters, flyers, letterheads, resumes, pamphlets, booklets, programs and more.
  2. Cover or Card Stock (heavier weight): commonly used for greeting cards, wedding materials, business cards, tickets, announcements, postcards, bookmarks and more.

Once you have decided whether a letter paper or card stock will be suitable for your job, you have to determine whether you want a flat or textured feel. Texture really depends on your personal preference.

The next aspect to think about is coating. If you decide to go with a textured stock, most textured stocks are un-coated. Flat stocks however, have various coating options such as uncoated (which we refer to as plain), satin (which we refer to as matte), gloss, or UV gloss.

Again, coating mostly depends on personal preference. Uncoated stocks generally have a more muted look which is best for formal prints such as wedding invites, and gloss stocks bring out bold colors which look best for promotional materials, photos, or comic art.

Uncoated stocks are recommended for any print that will be written on such as greeting cards or postcards to avoid smearing. But what happens if you want that beautiful photo on the front of your card to be high gloss but you also want to be able to write inside? Don’t worry! 1 sided card stocks are available for this reason!

CatPrint offers 31 different stocks of various thicknesses, textures, and coatings (yeah, we know it’s a lot!). The best way to ensure that you’re choosing a stock that you will love, is to order our complimentary sample booklet so you can see and feel the different papers for yourself.