Brochure of your company is the face of your business. It is your first visual interaction with your clients and hence you can’t afford to take it lightly when you are creating one. First impression can be the last impression and hence brochure creation actually needs some serious work. There are several things which you need to take care while creating a brochure, but in this article let us focus on one of the major aspect i.e. paper selection for your company brochure.
Make sure paper selection is the part of design process rather than something you consider post design. Before we decide upon what to select, let us see what options we have and then will discuss tips under each head.
Coating (Coated and Uncoated paper)
Coated art paper comes primarily in two flavours; Glossy and matte.
Glossy lifts up the colours and images to new dimensions. Its shine gives the reader a luxurious look. It can be bit costly. Fingerprints, smudges and dust on glossy paper can create problem if the brochure is expected to travel many hands.
Matte on the other hand is suave and classy. It brings the text written to its best. A high quality matte can be more expensive than glossy. Fingerprints, smudges and dust are better handled here.
Uncoated
Uncoated paper is also known as “Wood free” or “Simili” paper. It is of low cost. It is better environment friendly as it produces high fibre for recycling. It will provide a non-corporate look to the brochure.
Tips:
For an image intensive brochure if your budget permits, you can use coated glossy paper. Keep in mind that brochure in question will not passed around a lot as otherwise fingerprints and dust can be an issue.
For text and written content intensive brochure, matte coated paper is the best choice which will balance the readability and quality of the brochure.
Coated papers are suitable for business like realty, corporate and other high profile companies.
If purpose of the company and business needs a subdued look or the budget is low, uncoated paper with single color option is the best choice. Uncoated paper is more environmental choice and also suitable for brochures for NGO or charitable organisations.
Thickness and weight
Thickness
For coated paper brochures, the commonly used thicknesses are 105gsm, 128gsm or 157gsm whereas for uncoated paper, 80gsm or 100gsm are used. But some organisations go with card paper having thickness of 230gsm or 260gsm for their brochures to get a luxurious image.
Weight
Weight of the paper is measured by the weight of 50 similar papers. Generally companies start with 65 pounds stock to 100 pound paper. Heavyweight papers will resist wear and tear but can be costly too.
Tips:
Consider what you want to do with the brochure when deciding upon thickness and weight of the paper; if making sales brochure for bulk mailing, you would prefer light paper. If you are creating travel brochures to be placed on card racks then you can consider heavier than the previous choice.
If your brochure can be folded then obviously a thin paper should be preferred.
If more wear and tear is expected, thickness would help you.
Cover Page and text pages can be of different thickness and weight.
Color
Brochure papers in the market are available in wide range of colors and textures. You can choose from varying shades of white to light colors, bright colors, metallic colors or even black.
Tips:
White plain paper would be a smart choice if your brochure contains lots of vivid images, graphic text and logos. It will help to project the originality of the basic design.
If brochure comprises mostly black or otherwise solid coloured text, you would be happy using bright colored paper.
Impact you wish to make is important; Color associated with business or organization, readability are some factors which you need to consider before selecting paper color and texture.
Speciality paper/Composition of paper
These are recycled, handmade and textured paper. Most printers keep a stock of these for that special effect which these papers bring.
Tips:
If you want to stand out from the crowd, consider using speciality paper.
Provides less serious image to your business and will invoke a different feeling than a regular paper when one reads about your business on the brochure.
Sometimes clients prefer to do business with companies which are eco-friendly. If you use recycled paper you will stand out a chance to be noticed sooner.
As brochure is the first impression of your organization, an environment friendly company is always welcome.
If you have a mission statement for “go green” then speciality paper will help you to establish that reputation from the very beginning.
If you are outsourcing the print job, seek a professional printer who follows green printing practices.
Do not forget to mention in your brochure that you are using these methods.
Printer
Another point to be considered is where your brochure will get printed i.e. locally or you will outsource it.
Tips:
If you will be printing them locally, visit a paper supply store and check out various finishes for yourself. However, if you are looking to print brochure t00, many companies claims 48 hour print that can be useful sometimes when you are in urgent need.
If you will be turning your brochure over to a professional printer, you must discover what options are available with the printer of your choice.
Ask your professional printer if they provide swatch book or samples for reference. It will help you to take your decision before the order.
Remember online or catalogue viewing may not provide the real picture and effects for the decision.
Choose the best paper you can afford. You can consider printing less but high quality brochures this time, it will help to win clients and get budget for more brochures. Consider hot stamping, spot-UV or lamination if you can afford.
Apart from these tips, it’s all together a personal choice. If you think your design, message and the company image is best promoted by a glossy paper, go for it even if your brochure is in a high traffic area.
Innovation is the key in any business and hence when you are introducing yourself to the world, it is the best policy to use it in your designs with little care of course. Be innovative and experimental. Idea is to make sales. So, break norms, go vivid and do take calculated risks!