Choosing the right paper stock for your print jobs is an important task. After all, paper can tell a lot about your product and your business. Your choice of stock can also play a crucial role when it comes to helping you cut through all that clutter your targets see on a day to day basis.
So here are some of the things you need to consider when it comes to making the right paper selection.
1. Purpose and lifespan
It’s important to think of the purpose and lifespan of your printed piece to work out the right paper stock. For example, a brochure, catalogue or annual report would require a heavier, more durable stock as it is going to be around for a longer time and accessed by more people as opposed to a direct mail piece that might just get a cursory glance and not be around for as long.
2. Right for your brand
You also want your printed piece to make the right impression and feeling when it gets into the hands of your targets. If you’re a business who prides itself on being environmentally conscious then a commitment to recycled or carbon neutral stock would work best for you. On the other hand, if you want promote luxury then premium stock and using metallics, linens and other speciality papers are what you need to promote the right image.
3. Colour and brightness
Even when printing on white paper – you have a range of colour options from warm shades to cool and it’s important to choose carefully as not every white fits every purpose. For example, skin tones should be printed on a warm-white stock as if you chose blue-white paper, even the healthiest of people would come across as grey in appearance. Paper brightness (i.e. the amount of blue light reflected) is also a factor as it can affect readability, the perception of colours and the contrast between dark and light hues.
4. Coated or uncoated
The choice you make in relation to coated or uncoated paper is another factor affecting the overall feel of your product. Coated paper is available in a range of smoothness such as silk, gloss, matte and semi-matte. It generally works well for print collateral that contains lots of photographs and illustrations or when you really want colours to pop. Uncoated paper reflects less light so is great for anything with lots of texts such as books, reports and magazines that you need to be able to read easily.
5. Thickness and weight
The thickness and weight of the stock used for your print jobs comes down to the end product and usage, the required finish and the amount of ink used on the page.
Your quick guide to stock weight and usage
A word about poster printing
When it comes to choosing the right stock for your business posters, it’s important to think about where they are likely to be displayed. If they are going to be outside then you need a durable stock that is not going to fade in the sun. A heavier stock is always going to do better against the elements, so think about how durable you need the poster to be. A coated paper is also going to show off colour and images more effectively as well as be more resistant to dirt and potential damage.
For advice on the right stock to suit your business and budget, speak to the team at your local Kwik Kopy today
Once upon a time, the only way I could find posters for my classroom was to buy them at a school supply store or order them from a catalog.
Then I became a STEM Lab teacher and I needed some really specific posters and could not find them anywhere. So, I started making them!
And it is probably the most fun I have in creating for my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Have I learned anything from making my own poster sets? Well, of course! And I have some fabulous tips for you to print the best posters ever!
The tips I am including are all about creating the most vivid and gorgeous colors possible and making your posters durable! I don’t know about you, but I want items to last- for more than one school year!
Number 1 Tip: Use a good quality paper! Regular copy paper tends to soak up the ink and the colors will never be bright. Cardstock is a good choice, but it also soaks up the ink. I also find that some printers do not pull cardstock through the process evenly and you may get a wonky poster.
Use a heavier weight of copy paper – like a 24-30 lb. with a high brightness level. The best paper I have ever found for posters is from Staples- Premium Color Laser Gloss paper, 96 bright and 32 lb. Posters print beautifully on this paper.
But, be cautious with the glossy paper. The ink does not dry as quickly and will smear easily.
This is the printer I have and it has been a great one! It’s the HP Office Jet Pro 8710.
I love this one because it is wireless and it prints fast! It makes copies and scans.
I also use the Instant Ink program which means you pay a monthly fee for the number of copies you think you will use. When your ink begins to run low, HP automatically sends you a new box. It arrives before you run out of ink. You recycle the used cartridges and keep printing.
So, what’s the tip? I am much more likely to print color pages because of this printer and the ink program. The colors are vivid and bright! Trust me: I print every poster set before uploading it to my store to make sure the colors work well, so having a great printer solution is a big deal!
If you are interested in the Instant Ink program (you have to have an HP printer) here’s my affiliate link: INSTANT INK By using the link you will receive a free month!
If you are not interested in purchasing a printer to use at home, you can also get an office supply store to print posters for you. This adds to the cost of the posters, but they look fantastic!
Yes, you should laminate your posters. Of course!
I know you already know this- laminating makes items last! Do you use a school laminator? I do sometimes, but never for my poster sets. Therein lies my tip.
If you are laminating brightly colored posters don’t do it at school! I can’t tell you how many times the school laminator has wrinkled or ruined something I was feeding through.
I have a personal laminator (the one in the photo) at home and it works great! The lamination is a heavier plastic and trims well- if you need to do any trimming.
I learned a long time ago to not try to make the letters on my boards in a straight line. I almost always make each letter turn a little- so the crookedness is much harder to detect.
TIP: What if you want your letters to stay in a line? I used to measure and draw a pencil line, but now I just use blue painter’s tape. I spread my letters out on a large table and use the edge of the table as the guideline. When the letters are in place I lay the tape over the top of them and then tape it to the board. Staple all the letters in place and remove the blue tape! Tip #2- the blue painter’s tape will not work on paper letters! Laminate them first. I learned this the hard way:(
I actually love making bulletin boards! But, I also like for things to match.
So, how do I get the letters and borders and decor to match?
I start with the border! Then I find colored paper to match the colors of the border and make the letters from the paper. I also have a big bin of pom-poms, tissue paper, banners, large fans, and more. From that bin, I choose some decorative items in the same colors and BAM I have a well-coordinated board. My tip is to save all those items when you pull them off the board and reuse them later!
Tip #2 – I never staple decorative items or posters to bulletin boards. Eventually, the board has to come down and I find the staples much harder to remove and sometimes I will tear something that I wanted to save. I use pushpins instead!
Are you cutting out the letters for the words on your bulletin board?
I do and love using bright colors.
I took a piece of the border of this board to the craft store and looked until I found the colors of scrapbook paper to match it!
Yes, construction paper or card stock will work, but scrapbook paper comes in more colors!
I love this display in my library at my house. I printed one of my Harry Potter posters in a smaller version to fit in a small picture frame. Use the settings on your printer to print things smaller!
Tip: If you decide to try printing smaller, print the first item in black/white to make sure it works for your frame or wherever you plan to put the poster. I had to adjust the size of the poster in my frame several times before I got it just right.
So, I am often asked what size my poster sets are and the answer is 8.5 x 11 inches. However, sometimes you want a larger poster. So, I have created the steps below to show you how to do this! This works when you have a poster resource that is saved as a PDF.
Yes, check the orientation! I have printed several items in landscape when it should have been portrait and it is such a waste of ink and paper! Check this orientation!!
Look carefully at the viewing window in this image. Notice that the poster fills the entire viewing window.
Now, take a look at the next image.
Look carefully at the viewing window above. Have we enlarged the poster? NO! Even though this one uses two pieces of paper (you can see a dotted line in the center), the size of each half does not fill the page- meaning this poster will not be any larger than normal. You want the poster pieces to fill more of the white space. (By the way, those dotted lines are where the two sides of the image will overlap.)
Above is an example of a larger poster.
I changed this one to 120% and you can see how much more space is filled. It still uses 2 sheets of paper. After cutting out the two sides of the poster you must tape them together. (There is an overlap edge on both sides when these print.)
This above poster is enlarged to 200% and this one will take 6 pieces of paper. Look at the image above and notice there are dotted lines that divide the poster into 6 sections. Each section is a piece of paper.
So, after printing the sheets of the poster, what is next?
To the left you can see my poster tat was enlarger 150% and it needed four pieces of paper to print.
The next step is to trim. Posters made like this will have overlapping edges. For this poster, I trimmed off the sides of the left two posters and trimmed off the bottom edges of the top two posters. (The green arrow is pointing to trim lines that are on the printed poster. You can use those as a guide for your paper cutter.)
The next step is to trim. Posters made like this will have overlapping edges. For this poster, I trimmed off the sides of the left two posters and trimmed off the bottom edges of the top two posters. (The green arrow is pointing to trim lines that are on the printed poster. You can use those as a guide for your paper cutter.)
The next step is to trim. Posters made like this will have overlapping edges. For this poster, I trimmed off the sides of the left two posters and trimmed off the bottom edges of the top two posters. (The green arrow is pointing to trim lines that are on the printed poster. You can use those as a guide for your paper cutter.)
A final tip about enlarging: If you try enlarging a page I would suggest you change the percentage to something that will only use 2 pieces of paper. Lining up the edges for 4 sheets and getting them taped in place is harder!