Production

Paper is part of the typography. The same letters on a coated sheet and on a soft uncoated sheet will not look the same, and ink will not sit on them in the same way.

If you can, look at a printed sample of the stock before you lock a layout. Show-through, a strong grain, or a colour in the sheet itself will change contrast. A very white coated paper can make photographs look sharp and type look thin; a warmer uncoated sheet can do the opposite. Neither is automatically better.

Ink density and the number of colours should be agreed with the printer. A job that looked rich in a RGB file can look dull if it is printed in a single black, or muddy if too much colour is asked of a soft sheet. Ask for a proof that uses the same stock, or be clear with yourself that a digital proof is only an approximation.

This journal does not publish a paper catalogue. Named stocks and their prices change, and a mill's own current swatch is the right place to read them.