





















«What paper would you recommend?»
This is a question we hear so often that we decided to collect and summarise the recommendations on paper selection in one post. So what is the best paper to choose for…
Fiction, memoirs and poems.
Lovers of literature know that the pleasure of reading a book is made up of many «little things». A lot of it depends on the paper. The paper should be pleasant to the touch, not thick or coated. To make reading fatigue-free you should choose offset paper in milky or ivory colour. Such paper ensures maximum reading comfort: it is enough to remember that European publishers, taking care of their readers’ eyes, publish 99% of all literature on such paper.
Recommended paper weight depends on the binding.
For paperback books choose 65-80 g/m2 paper, hardback no more than 160 g/m2. Often authors believe that «the thicker the paper, the better the book». In a sense this is true: if you compare too thin paper with fairly thick paper. But a book printed on too thick paper would simply be uncomfortable to read. You would have to flip pages, and the book would tend to open like an accordion. Also, such a book could «fall apart»: too heavy paper is not elastic, which would cause the spine to crack, and the inner leaves to fall out.
Art albums and picture books of high quality.
A premium matte offset paper such as Color Copy or matte coated paper is a good choice for such editions. The paper itself looks solid, which makes the publication more presentable. There’s also a practical reason for using matte paper: unlike glossy paper, it doesn’t glare.
Instructions and technical literature are best printed on offset or matt coated paper with a weight of 65-90g/m2.
White offset paper of the same weight is also suitable for scientific literature, textbooks and trade journals.
Illustrated children’s books — offset paper 80-90 g/m2 (softcover) and 80-160 g/m2 (hardcover).
Photobooks, illustrated book inserts, annual reports, presentations — matt coated with 90-200 gsm or premium 80-100 gsm offset paper.