A Guide to Paper Weights for Print Brochures

Paper is a fundamental to your print brochures. Its look and feel brings those eye-catching images and creative copy to life. Giving thought to paper quality and paper weight is a critical part of booklet and brochure printing.

Design, content, images, brochure size (A4, A5 or DL), number of pages, print run and budget have all been ticked off your ‘to do’ list. Before the printing presses are fired up, it’s time to settle on your paper type. And there’s a checklist to go through:

•How will it be stitched together? (see our guide to saddle-stitched versus perfect bound)

What type of paper do you want to print on?

• What weight of paper do you want to use?

• Will you decide to coat the paper or leave it uncoated?

Weighing up the paper options

The weight of paper will go some way to determining how heavy your print brochures will be. It also needs to be factored into your budget. If your brochure is being sent out as part of a direct mail campaign, then this could have an impact on delivery cost. A heavy paper stock means you spend more.

But quality is a factor too. Do you want to impress that all important client? Then paper can go some way to help. A light paper is likely to tear easily and get damaged when damp. Could that risk a customer’s first impression?

Colour of text and imagery comes into paper choice too. If the paper is thin, then those bright colours and bold text can be seen on both sides of the page. Again, not good for your potential customer.

So, getting the paper weight right matters. Below is a guide to different paper weights for you to consider when printing. And a paper weight guide is a good place to start.

What is paper gsm and how thick is a piece of paper?

Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre (gsm). In general, the higher the gsm rating, the heavier and thicker the paper will be. For example, if you want to know how.

• 80 – 100gsm: This is rarely used in print brochures and is the general weight of standard office paper.

• 110 – 120gsm: Again, not suitable in brochure printing. It’s better used for stationery paper such as letterheads and compliment slips.

• 130 – 170gsm: Heavier, more durable paper usually used for posters, business leaflets, flyers and pages inside your brochure.

• 170 – 200gsm: This is the midway point between paper and card. It can be used for brochure covers and is great when used for more luxurious posters or quality double sided flyers.

• 200 – 250gsm: This paper weight is the starting point of heavier card (board) and can add a quality finish to a brochure if used as a cover.

• 300 – 400gsm: Anything over 300gsm falls into the board category and this is usually the weight at which business cards start. Board can be used as brochure covers but it’s important to remember the stitching and folding implications.

• 400gsm and above: Some luxury business cards are printed on weights up to 1200gsm.

Add embellishments to finish your Print Brochures

The impact of paperweight goes a long way to determining your brochure’s look. And once you’ve thought about whether to use luxury paper or something a bit lighter, then you can start thinking about embellishments. Uncoated paper or coated paper? Or lamination – matt or gloss finishes? View our range of luxury papers to make that brochure stand out from the crowd. And for more information on the best paper type to use with your next brochure contact the Digital Printing team today.