The Differences in Paper

By Minuteman Press of Hartford, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Vernon

When it comes to commercial printing, there are two main kinds of paper that are used.

One type is coated, and the other is uncoated.

A coated paper stock has a surface sealant and often contains clay. Coating papers reduce dot gain by restricting ink from absorbing into the surface of the paper.

This sealant allows for crisper printing, particularly photos, gradients and fine detailed images. Coated papers have numerous sheen options, including gloss, matte, dull, and satin finishes.

A gloss coated paper has a high sheen – like you would see in a magazine. Gloss papers have less bulk and opacity and are less expensive than a dull and matte paper of equal thickness.

A cast coated paper has a very high gloss sheen made by pressing the paper against a polished hot metal drum while the coating is still wet.

A dull finish coated paper has a smooth surface paper that is low in gloss. Dull coated paper falls between matte and glossy paper.

A matte coated paper is a non-glossy, flat looking paper with very little sheen. Matte papers are more opaque, contain greater bulk, and are higher in cost.

When it comes to uncoated paper, the stock has not been coated with clay or other surface sealants. Inks dry by absorbing into the paper.

Uncoated papers comprise a vast number of paper types and are available in a variety of surfaces, both smooth and textured.

Some fine quality uncoated sheets contain a watermark.

The weight of a paper refers to its thickness and is typically measured in pounds and points. The higher the number, the thicker the paper for that type of paper.

Three general paper thickness categories used to describe the basis weight of matching stationery papers are writing, text, and cover weight papers. They are commonly used for a company’s matching letterhead, envelope, business cards, and other collateral items.

Writing paper is a letterhead-weight stock and often has a watermark. Text paper is thicker than a writing paper, but not as thick as a cover paper. Cover paper is a card stock paper, such as those used for a business card or report cover.

There is also a difference in opacity in paper. A paper’s opacity is determined by its weight, ingredients, and absorbency. A paper’s opacity determines how much printing will show through on the reverse side of a sheet.

Opacity is expressed in terms of its percentage of reflection. Complete opacity is 100 percent and complete transparency is 0 percent.

You can also look at the brightness. The brightness of a sheet of paper measures the percentage of blue light it reflects. The brightness of a piece of paper is typically expressed on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the brightest.

Most papers reflect 60 percent to 90 percent of light. The brightness of a paper affects readability, the perception of ink color, and the contrast between light and dark hues.

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