Paper Surface Tips and Comparisons

  
  Paper selection for any printing project can be very subjective. Choosing the right paper for a job is an easy and dramatic way to improve your printed piece. A wide variety of stocks and surfaces may be considered. The chart below will help you select the proper paper surface for all your printing requirements.  

 
Paper Grade
Properties
Recommended Use
uncoated offset
  • rough, uneven surface
  • available in vellum, wove, smooth or calendared finish
 for black and white inexpensive work, not recommended for process color work
film coated
  • smoother than uncoated, has a sizing applied to the surface and in some grades, a small amount of coating
 for book work or magazines, looks washed out and dull with process color work
matte coated
  • smoother than film coated, has both a sizing and a coating applied and has a calendared surface to enable process color printing
  • usually whiter and brighter than above two grades
 for quality jobs with a moderate budget
dull coated
  • usually whiter, has more coating, and is calendared to a much smoother finish
  • prints better than above grades
  • more expensive than above grades
 for high quality printing where it is desirable to have a non-glare surface
gloss coated
  • has the same properties as dull coated except, it has a smoother surface due to a higher degree of calendaring
  • is usually slightly less expensive than dull coated papers
  • probably the most widely used sheet in the commercial printing industry
  • has a better printing surface than any of the above grades
 for high quality printing
premium gloss coated
  • whiter, brighter, and glossier than most all other papers available
  • prints the sharpest and cleanest dots for high detail work
  • gloss is achieved by extra calendaring and whiteness by extra brighteners
 for the most demanding or critical jobs (annual reports, self promotions, etc.)
cast coated papers
  • considered to be the premium of gloss coated papers
  • superior gloss is achieved by baking the coating on the sheet by means of a highly polished chromium drum
  • has the smoothest surface of all gloss coated papers available today
  • usually available in cover weights only
  • the most expensive of all coated papers
 for high quality printing where it is desirable to have a heavy, glossy stock
 

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updated 08/16/05