Printing paper stock has multiple characteristics such as color, texture, weight, caliper, size, brightness, grain direction, whiteness, and opacity. Knowing which qualities you require for your print job will allow you and your printer to determine the best printing paper for your needs. Simply specifying which qualities you desire will allow your printer to provide some options for you to choose from.
One thing about the color of printing paper that you should keep in mind is that the color changes the color of the ink. It’s best to request printed samples so that you can better determine which color works best to meet your needs. Colored printing paper is generally more expensive than white paper stock because it is lower in the supply and demand category and the dyes used to color the paper cost money. Printing paper color tends to be very tricky which is why it’s best to get some samples to choose from.
Printing paper can be coated or uncoated and tends to have different surface textures. Papermaking machines impress different textures on paper and this will affect how the ink sits on the surface of the printing paper. The weight of printing paper is based on the size of a ream of paper. For example, 500 sheets of 80# cover measured at 20” x 38” weighs 80 pounds. That same paper in text weight would still weigh 80 pounds but the sheet size would be different measuring at 25” x 38” which is thinner. Another type of measurement is by points. Points refer to thousandths of an inch. So if you’re asking for 10 pt paper, you’re asking for 10 thousandths of an inch. If you’re unsure, get samples.
Caliper refers to a micrometer measurement of the thickness of printing paper, or pages per inch. Bulk is a relative measure of the thickness as related to the basis weigh of a sheet. Higher bulk will increase the thickness of a book while lower bulk reduces opacity. This is why it is helpful to know the caliper of the printing paper. Opacity refers to the show-through of the paper. The higher the opacity, the least likely solids and halftones will be seen on the other side of the sheet. Colored paper is typically more opaque than white paper. Opacity is rated on a scale of 1 to 100 with most paper falling between 80 to high 90.
Grain direction of printing paper is the direction that the fibers of a page have aligned during the process of papermaking. In grain long paper, fibers run parallel to the length of the page whereas in short grain paper the fibers run parallel to the width of the page. This affects the folding of paper primarily. Paper folds best when folded parallel to the grain direction but the fold is stronger when folded against the grain. So deciding which is most important will help to achieve the desired results. Many people underestimate the many different characteristics printing paper have that determine the quality of a print job.