Lusid Motif GDES250_TheFinalSubmission_McCarthy_Andrew_W2018_j | Page 31

Paper types: why weight matters Whether you’re printing business cards or books,or producing an advertising display or a flyer, every product has a recommended weight. Choosing the wrong type of paperfor printing your graphic design or publishing project can ruin the final effect: for example, if you choose too low a grammage for a catalogue, the pages will be too transparent, allowing you to see the images printed on the back The Pixartprinting website gives the recommended paperweights based on the product category in question. For example, to print your business cards we recommend a grammage of 280, 300 or 350 gsm, although you can choose from the other available weights if you prefer. If you’d rather feel the various types of paper on offer with your own hands, you can order Pixartprinting’s Paper Sample Packonline. The difference between the European & American systems While the European system for measuring paperweight is based solely on the weight of a sheet of paper for every square metre of its surface, in the United States another unit of measurement is used, either in its place or in addition: basis weight. The basis weight is given in pounds and calculated based on a ream of 500 or 1000 uncut sheets of the size usually used for a certain type of printing. Fortunately, there are various conversion tables available online that help European users to find the equivalent weight in the American system. Different types of paper for digital printing As we said at the start, it is useful to know the main processing types and finishes available before choosing your paper. Here’s a short list of the most common paper types: 90-gsm paper The 90-gsm paper falls into the uncoated paper category, and is a natural, wood-free paper, which is not subjected to any chemical treatments. It is ideal for printing large quantities of text, producing a relatively light and thin printed document. It can be used in either a white or ivory colour for the inside pages of books and for printing documents or headed paper. Lucid Motif Graphic Industry 30