How to choose the paper? What is the best choice? To choose the most expensive and most luxurious paper or to choose the cheapest paper in order not to make the final price too high. Neither of the two questions is the right one when choosing the paper. In the first place, we should find out which paper is the most suitable for our book. Because the most suitable is the best. On one hand, the paper must look and feel in line with character of the book and the impression, the writer wants to evoke with the reader. On the other hand, possibilities for print and binding of the book must be considered.
Paper selection is a complex process that is why we need to devote enough time to it and to consider a wide range of aspects. The type of the book is essential for the production. A novel, a bedecker with photos, a textbook, a user manual, a book for children, etc., each book needs another type of paper.
What kind of paper is suitable for my book?
A photo book or art reproductions stand out best on glossy and semi matte coated paper as well as on premium calendared uncoated paper of Olin type. There are pros and cons to everything. Perfectly sharp and bright images on one hand, unwanted reflection on the other. Novels, or fiction in general, need thicker paper which is pleasant to the touch. The colour of paper and the text must be in contrast, but at the same time, the contrast must not make eyes tired. Especially suitable are therefore papers in natural and creamy shades. For books such as textbooks or manuals, which are meant to supply information, the best papers are common uncoated papers.
Thickness of the book
A book should fit well in the hand. It should not be too heavy in order to be easy to manipulate with. Voluminous papers are especially suitable for fiction, which provide extra volume to a single sheet and make paging through the book pleasant. On the other hand, with books such as dictionaries or encyclopaedias which have a lot of pages, papers with low grammage are recommended if we want to keep the price and thickness low. Both types of papers have one thing in common. Both are suitable for printing texts.
The right paper opacity
In order to make the book thinner and lighter, we may choose paper with too low grammage which does not provide sufficient opacity. It results in translucency of the paper, which may have a disturbing effect especially if books contain a lot of images. The opacity level varies from producer to producer, so it is not possible to set a border opacity which can limit the show-through effect. In general, when comparing the same grammage of paper made of mechanical celluloses and wood-free paper, paper made of mechanical celluloses has higher opacity. It shows that grammage it not the only aspect that needs to be considered when we want to increase the opacity. A blank sheet of paper does not reveal the opacity level. When you want to choose the right paper, check a printed sample too.
The right weight of the book is important for turning the pages as well as for manipulation with the book. However, the weight of the book also affects the overall distribution costs that is why it needs to be considered. For example, coated papers make the book 20 to 30 percent heavier compared to uncoated papers. Sometimes, 80- or 90-gram uncoated paper can be used instead of coated paper with 115 g/m². To make a book lighter, it is recommended to use soft binding, which is lighter compared to hardcover binding.
How can we choose the suitable paper for the planned printing techniques or book binding?
Offset printing, digital printing, stamping, cut-outs, soft or hardcover binding, etc. All these types of printing and printing techniques require a particular type of paper. There are not general rules for the paper selection. The best way is to consult a specialist or a paper supplier. You can avoid potential problems.
