Commercial Printing Help

The type of paper you choose to print your project on has a number of key terms: brightness, weight, and coating. Each of them describe different aspects of the paper and will help you decide what kind of paper you should use for your specific project. Choosing the proper paper can be a daunting task if you’re really serious about what you’re printing. Here’s a bit of information to help you make the decision:

Brightness

In the world of commercial printing, “brightness” refers to how much light is reflected off of the paper. Brightness values range on a scale from 0-100, 100 being the brightest. The important thing to remember is that the brightness mainly affects the vibrancy of your colors. And DO NOT confuse brightness with whiteness. Whiteness refers to the shade (cream, beige, gray) of the paper and has little or nothing to do with the brightness. So just ask yourself – how bright do I want my colors to be?

Weight

The weight of paper is based on how much 500 sheets of paper weighs in pounds. If 500 sheets of paper weighs 80 pounds, then the paper would be referred to as 80# paper. Even though this may seem quite precise, it’s still not an exact science. You’ll still need to treat weight as a rough estimate until you are able to actually examine the paper yourself. For example, 80# paper is a pretty standard paper for flyers or brochures. But just because that’s the standard, it might not be right for your project. Be sure and ask your printer and by all means – ask for paper samples.

Coating

Coating or coated paper refers to a film that is put on the paper that improves or negates how light reflects off the paper. The coating can be applied either on both sides or only on one side of the paper. A very common type of coating is gloss, or glossy paper. It’s used for pictures and any other graphics that you really want to stand out. A matte coating will do the opposite – it will make the image more dull and stand out less.

Now that you’ve got a better idea of brightness, weight and coating, you should be a little better equipped to deal with the commercial printing today.

In a day of digital TV and satellite, the internet, and radio, can printed media still be an effective form of advertising today? Absolutely! The importance of printed materials cannot be underestimated. Printed advertising is still one of the most effective forms of advertising available.

The fact is, when a person sees a printed ad in the newspaper or in a magazine, he or she reads it and it registers and produces much better results than any other type of ad. The same goes with other printed materials like brochures or flyers. What a person sees on a flyer is more likely to register than an ad he or she runs across on the internet. It’s important to remember that the goal of advertising is to produce actual results in a cost-effective manner.

This is where the benefits of commercial printing come into play in your business. TV, radio, internet ads may reach more people, but they’re also MUCH more expensive to produce. And even though people see them, they just don’t register as well as printed media does. Printed advertising tends to hold people’s attention far better.

All companies know how important a continuous marketing program is, and printed media and advertising should be a major part of it. Sure, it’s easy and relatively cheap to run a small ad in the newspaper or on the internet once in a while, but the fact is that it’s not going to produce the results that you’d get from having a beautiful custom-printed insert ad in the same newspaper. Even better is a well-designed and functional brochure that people can take home with them.

One of the biggest problems with so many types of advertising, like in the newspaper or on the internet, is that people have become so accustomed to seeing them that now they simply pass right over them. But with custom printed media, they have to look at it and hold it for a bit to at least figure out what it’s for. They might even read it a bit, even if they plan on throwing it in the garbage can. However, during that short amount of time it’s going to subconsciously register in their minds and have a certain measurable effect. Even a small effect is better than nothing at all.

Commercially printed materials are incredibly important, especially today in a world of digital media. Don’t underestimate the importance of still utilizing printed advertising materials.