Uncoated paper has a lovely natural, matte finish. It's great for those projects that need a very "earthy" feel, but need a white printing surface. The standard weight for our uncoated stock is 310gsm (or about 15pt/87#).

Because uncoated stock does not have a coating on it, it does tend to be more absorbent that coated stock, so colors will bleed a little. If your artwork is not a good candidate for uncoated stock (too fine of text or colors), you may want to consider a matte aqueous flood varnish, or a matte lamination.

Measuring thickness of papers can get a little tricky. Thickness does not directly equate rigidity for example. We have found that referring to paper stocks by "gsm" is a bit more accurate as it reflects the density.

Recycled content does not affect thickness, but it has a big effect on the rigidity. 16pt recycled paper with a high pcw recycled content will have the same thickness when calipered as a lower recycled content. But if you hold the paper stock with high recycled content and bend it, you'll find it is definitely more flexible. The higher the recycled content, the softer the fibers (they've been used!), and the less rigid the paper feels. Some clients are ok with this and some are not...so we offer two types of recycled stock; 20-30% pcw and 70-80%pcw. The higher the recycled content, the less rigid.

Coatings also have a big impact on the gsm. For example, CS2 (coated 2 side) 16pt is about 400 gsm, but C1S (coated one side) 16pt is about 310gsm. We have a great table that lists out common paper stocks we use in pt stock thickness and converts to gsm measurement.

Ink saturation has an additional effect. If you use uncoated both sides stock, and apply a lot of ink, saturation can occur and the paper feels less rigid.

Construction plays a big part in the end thickness as well. If panels are created by folding over paper and gluing it down, then the panel thickness is increased, as opposed to single wall /slab panels. The below title uses standard stock fiberboard but feels very thick because of it's special construction. This jacket has a magnetic closure in it and we craftily hid the magnets within the panels. A side benefit is the extra thick feel!

Booklets use a thinner stock paper and can either be uncoated or finished with a matte aqueous. Matte aqueous is more common as it is better suited to the smaller type.

Fiberboard is a great unbleached stock with a natural look to it. It may be brown, but it's probably as probably as "green" as you can get! The standard weight for our fiberboard stock is 310gsm (or about 15pt/87#).

See also Printing White Ink on Fiberboard, Fiberboard digipaks, Fiberboard Jackets.

Another fun option for a booklet is to use kraft paper instead of white paper. Let us take a look at your art and guide you on the best options.

What's "Truly ECO?" For most replicators, "recycled" means a post-consumer content of 10% or so. Our standard is a bit tougher. Our standard paper stock is 20%-30% post-consumer waste and our Truly ECO recycled stock contains 70-80% post-consumer waste. The weight for our Truly ECO recycled content stock is 305gsm (or about 14pt/82#). Because of the high percentage of recycled content, the paper has a softer feel to it than one with a lower recycled percentage. We have experimented with 100% recycled but have not found the results to be to our liking. So for a high percentage recycled content paper stock, 70-80% is our recommendation.

See also Eco Jackets, Eco Friendly Options.

Our Standard Stock = Recycled Paper 20 - 30% PCW Content Our standard paper stock contains 20 - 30% recycled content, which is actually more eco than many of our competitors' special eco / recycled stocks! Always be sure to check the details if you are looking for recycled stock to see just how much post consumer waste is in the paper. The standard weight for our standard stock is 310gsm (or about 15pt/87#). The thickness of this stock is what we feel is ideal for good, solid packaging, and holds up well to various special printing effects and finishes.

Both percentages are available coated or uncoated.

See also Eco digipaks.

Extra thick paper is available in all stocks, this can really help beef up your packaging. Up to 400gsm (or about 21pt/110#). Chipboard / board stock can also be used and wrapped with a printed wrap of about 150 gsm. We do this technique for products that need a book binding look - common on old style LPs or digi books. Consider also, alternate construction methods such as gluing two 15 pt stock panels. Depending on what your needs are for pockets or die cuts, we can help you create the best solution.

This title uses 18pt thick stock with uncoated matte paper. The booklet has a matte aqueous coating and has it's back page tucked into a pocket.

Chipboard w/ a printed paper wrap is great for the vintage look—this is what was used for old vinyl LPs up through the '60s. Our chipboard comes in a variety of thicknesses—from 0.7mm to 2mm. Generally we recommend a 150gsm paper wrap (about 7.3pt/40#).

Although most professional-level graphics programs allow the use of spot colors, we find that the easier way to create spot effects is to create a new layer (or layers) in the program, then create art in one of the standard process colors. This allows you to work with your CMYK or RGB art without the limitations created with multi-channel files.
The majority of special effects can be easily set up as separate layers in your favorite graphic design or layout program. Whatever color you use for embossing, have everything that needs the effect in a single color, at 100% ink. Call or e-mail to be walked through the process depending on your program of choice, or have a graphics specialists set up the special effects for you (may incur additional cost). Here are some pages that may help you with ideas:
Special Printing Effects
Hot Foil Stamping
Embossing and Debossing
Spot UV Gloss
How to set up Spot Colors
How to set up PIPS or reverse side printing
Custom Die Cuts
Unusual Folds and Shapes
Metallic Ink printing
Spot White Ink on Fiberboard Stock
Special Disc Printing
Uncoated Paper(Matte)
Fiberboard Paper (brown, kraft)

One of our favorite titles for show & tell is the Deva Film Reel as it actually has all of the effects; hot foil stamping, embossing and debossing, spot UV glass & lamination. Be sure to check our the full spec for the special printing effects on Deva's Featured Title page.