Everything you always wanted to know about paper but were afraid to ask 

 

 

Weights
Paper comes in two families of weights: the text weights and the cover weights. You can’t compare text weights with cover weights, because in the printing trades an odd system of measurement has developed in which different sheet sizes of the two are weighed to get the standard weights. Therefore, as odd as it may seem, a 65 pound cover stock is heavier than a 70 pound text.

 

The 60 pound text weights are a good choice for two-sided brochures and newsletters. They are ordinarily used for the insides of booklets, books and newsletters. The 70 and 80 pound texts are more substantial than the 60 pound texts. 50 pound offset is a cheaper option, but its light weight also allows the type to “show through” to the other side.

Cover weight papers include the cover stocks, the index stocks and the bristols. These are good choices for the covers of booklets and books, postcards, self-mailers, and sometimes for brochures and posters. Because these papers weigh more, they also cost more. 

 

Coated vs Uncoated
Within each weight family, there are coated and uncoated varieties. The coated stocks have either a glossy or dull finish, and many of them are available in white only. Uncoated stocks come in many varieties and colors. Coated stocks are especially good for bringing out the best in photos and full color printing. Often cover stocks called C1S (coated one side) are used for book covers. An uncoated stock can be quite as elegant as a coated one, but it has a different look and feel. Both coated and uncoated papers are available with recycled content. 

The scoop on recycled paper
It takes 17 trees to make one ton of paper. Producing paper with waste paper pulp instead of virgin pulp saves not only trees, but contributes to the environment by requiring less energy in the manufacturing process. In addition, recycled paper production produces less air pollution, less water pollution and consumes less water than producing paper from virgin pulp. Using waste paper pulp also helps diminish the solid waste problem: Half of the waste collected annually in the U.S. is paper

“Pre-consumer” vs. “Post-consumer”
Pre-consumer waste is paper that has never made it into the hands of the consumer. Pre-consumer waste includes the by-products of paper making, envelope cuttings, bindery trimmings, rejected stock and leftover roll ends. The procedure of recovering pre-consumer waste and re-pulping these by-products to create new paper makes good business and environmental sense. 

“Post-consumer waste” refers to used paper that has gone through its life cycle and has been collected through recycling efforts (the paper you place in your blue bins!) By requesting paper with a high percentage of “post-consumer waste”, you are encouraging the paper companies to purchase this waste and develop de-inking systems to turn these wastes into new paper. You are participating in a environmentally sustainable production system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Sun Press was one of the first printing companies in New England to encourage its customers to print on recycled paper. For more than 15 years we have researched the availability of recycled printing papers, looked for paper with high post-consumer waste content, and educated our customers on the impact of using these products. Recycled paper currently accounts for more than 99% of all the paper we purchase, and 35% of the paper we use is 100% post-consumer waste.