Paper is a product developed from nature, so it is inconsistent. Environmental elements, such as heat and humidity, can have a detrimental effect on paper. During the manufacturing process, paper develops inconsistencies, which adds to the complexity of choosing the right paper for a book. For the most part, there are a few variables to consider:

  • Weight                         80gsm – 280gsm
  • Size                              Custom to A3 297x420mm
  • Thickness
  • Coated papers              Gloss, Matt, Semi gloss

These variables will have a direct impact on a book's imposition, spine, cover, thickness, colour density, and binding.

Weight

Paper weight is based on how many grams per square metre. For example, 80gsm paper weighs 80gsm per square metre. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, two sheets of paper designated 80gsm may not actually weigh the same amount and may have different thicknesses. Grams per square meter (GSM), is the most accurate measure of weight. It isn't an exact science, but using GSM will result in books that weight and feel the same.

Paper weight is directly proportional to the thickness of the paper. The more it weighs, the thicker it is. The thicker it is, the more it affects the cover and spine, and even the way the book will be bound. If the paper you choose is too thick, it may or may not fit in the type of binding. So remember to select paper that accommodates the binding method you have chosen.

Thickness

A paper's thickness is measured in thousandths of an inch, called mills or points. However, even the thickness is never exact because of paper's natural quality. Different brands of paper have different amounts of clay and filler, which means that two sheets of paper can have the same GSM and still be different thicknesses. Also, the manufacturing defects and environmental elements affect the paper and can cause thickness to vary from sheet to sheet. As ancient as it seems, the only way to accurately measure paper thickness is to use a caliper.

If a book has a cover and a spine, they can be greatly affected by the weight of the paper you choose. Especially if the paper is coated. If a book is too thick, the paper used to produce the cover may not be long enough to wrap around the back, spine, and front of the book.

Book covers are produced on paper that is larger than the paper used to produce the book's internal content. This larger size must accommodate the full spread of the book, but there must also be space on the edges for crop and bleed marks, as well as enough room for lamination.

Another factor to consider is the spine. If the book's thickness changes after you've created the text that goes on the spine, the text will get off-center. To avoid this problem, always create different images for the front cover, back cover, and spine. That way, the print shop can adjust the placement of the images based on the book's final thickness.

The thickness of the paper can also affect the binding method you choose. If a book is too thick, either from an excessive number of pages or from using paper that is too heavy, it may not fit in the binding machine. And by then, the book has been printed and you will incur extra cost by having to reprint it.

Size

The size of the paper used to print a book puts constraints on the number of imposition methods that will be available to you. And, of course, the page dimensions that you choose when designing the book are directly correlated to the paper size. We share a common goal, which is to copy as many pages at once on the least amount of paper. Your challenge is to choose a paper size that will accomplish that goal. Obviously, if you have a book with different page dimensions we may be able to print more copies of the book at a single time.

The paper size must not only be large enough to contain the content of the book and its margins, but there must also be space for production information, such as gutters, trim marks, fold marks, crop marks, bleeds, and lamination. However, it is important to remember that you have to leave a 3-4 mm edge around the outside of the paper because the printer can not print past that margin. That means that anything between the edge of the paper and the 3-4 mm margin will not print, so if trim marks are added in this space, we will not know where to trim the book because the trim marks will not print.

Another factor to consider when choosing a paper size is whether or not the book will be laminated. If a book is to be laminated, the lamination film may need 1-2mm over the edge of the paper. Otherwise, the laminate film may peel off after the cover is trimmed, which wouldn't look too good. Also, single sided film that extends off the paper could melt onto the laminator's rollers and cause it to malfunction.

No matter what paper size you choose, make sure it is compatible with our press and binding machine. Understand that you might have to change the imposition or paper size to conform to the restrictions of the press or binding machine.

Coated Papers

Paper manufacturers provide a wide variety of coatings on their book and cover stocks. Typical coatings are high gloss, low gloss, or matte finish. These coatings not only provide surface gloss, but they also affect the hue, opacity and thickness of the paper. The various surface characteristics of paper will affect its response to toner and incident light. As a result, when you view a book, you will see differences in the printed colours.

Keep in mind that toner does not adhere well to some coated paper stock. The combination of coating and fuser oil makes it hard for the toner to stick to the paper.