Knowing the paper stock that you will use in your next print project is important as ultimately it will determine the final look and feel of your printed piece.

Uncoated Paper
During the paper manufacturing process, all paper will start out uncoated. Uncoated paper has a porous surface so is quite absorbent. What this means is that when printed on, it will soak up the ink more compared to a coated stock. This style of paper is often referred to as bond and is used for printed materials that need to be written on. Items such as notepads, letterheads, envelopes, writing books and student training manuals, to name a few. It offers quite a natural or organic look for your printed piece. As the ink is absorbed more in the paper, colours will look different compared to coated paper stocks.

When supplying your artwork for commercial printing, there are certain technical specifications required on files to ensure that your job will not only print correctly, but also offer the quality expected from a professional print company.

We all have software programmes that let us produce our own designs. Sometimes half of the work is already done for us but there is a technical side to design and understanding the end use of the item being designed is an integral part of that process.

We often will ask what program your artwork has been designed in as it will immediately indicate to us if we may have problems. While you may be able to design, click and print from Word, Excel, Publisher or Canva at home or the office, the process works quite differently on a commercial press. While we understand that many clients wish to design and supply their own files, we suggest you discuss your project with us before commencing work to avoid unexpected artwork or file handling costs later in the process.