** E-Mail Desktop Publishing Design Course **

                        ***** LESSON 9A *****

PAPER

Paper is important not only for its surface, which takes the printed
image, but also for its weight and feel which can enhance or reduce
the quality of the finished product.

Characteristics of paper

The choice of papers is very wide. For the desktop publisher the
complexities of how a paper is manufactured is less important than
knowing the differences between types of paper and when to use them.

Finish -
Paper surfaces range from the very rough to the highly polished and
glossy. The smoother the paper the more likely it will accept the fine
details in offset printing, especially halftones. However, highly
polished surfaces reflect light badly which can irritate your reader.
If halftones are to be used a smooth but matte surface is the best
choice.
Papers are sometimes said to have a "wire" and "top" side. This refers
to the faint pattern left by the wire mesh through which the pulp is
drained. This does not normally present a problem on text only
documents. Most of you have probably seen photocopier paper packages
that say "this side up", well, know you know why. The "wired" side can
cause very minor degradations in print quality, especially in
illustrations.

Opacity -
Papers have different degrees of "opacity" or show-through. Very thin
uncoated paper can be almost translucent while heavier stock can be
completely opaque. Too much show-through can spoil an otherwise well
laid-out document, particularly if the pages include heavy rules, tint
panels, and halftones. The opacity of a paper can be tested by laying
a blank page over a printed page. If the type can be seen only very
faintly then the show-through is probably acceptable. It will not
always be possible to use as opaque a paper as you would like. It will
frequently be a compromise between opacity, weight, and cost.

Feel -
Paper is a very tactile commodity. The way it feels in the hand can be
very important to the type of impression you are trying to make. It is
always a good idea to have a bound "dummy" made up in the paper you
intend to use. From this you will be able to tell whether your
publication is too stiff or too floppy and how well it is going to
open. It is not always economically feasible to use a high grade paper
but for the occasional prestige job it is worth finding something
better than the usual run-of-the-mill product.

Grain -
The fibers of which a paper is made tend to lie parallel to the
direction in which the pulp moves through the paper making machine.
This gives the paper its grain direction. Paper folds more readily in
the direction of the grain so, wherever possible, the grain of the
paper should run from the top of the page to the bottom. This will
give a clean fold and ensures that the pages open well. It is usually
the printer's responsibility to make sure that the grain runs the
proper way on the page, but it is useful to be able to know this for
yourself.

Weight -
Paper weight in North America is given in "pounds (lb) per REAM (500
sheets)" or in "grams per square meter (gsm)". This does not really
mean much to people that are not handling paper everyday. Get some
paper maker's samples and use them as a reference for what a
particular weight feels like.
As a very rough guide, the documents you might find in a typical
office will average:
Writing paper 20-24 lb
Copying paper 18-20 lb
32 page booklet 60-80 lb
Tabloid newsprint 30lb

Cost -
Paper can be an expensive material. The important thing to remember is
that the shorter the run the less important paper price is going to
be. The difference in cost between printing 500 copies on two
different qualities of paper is negligible, so use the better one. The
final product will look and feel that much better for it.


                  ***** Continued in Lesson 9B *****