Printer Paper Exposed

If you’re looking for the best printer paper, you cannot waste your time with sub par grades of paper that will slow you down.  Bad printer paper can jam your printer, make pictures and text look poor, and just simply look and feel cheap.  The best printer paper on the other hand, will look, feel, and present itself amazingly.  While for some people, what they print is worthless and they need worthless paper for those print jobs, you, on the other hand, need printer paper that will be up to the task of presenting that million dollar project.

As one of the most important parts of the printing process, the paper you choose can make or break it.  Paper comes in three different varsities, cheap everyday stuff, medium grade stuff that is designed to impress, and the highest grade, premium printer paper that will make whatever is printed on it golden.  Most consumers use the everyday paper, but professionals, like successful real estate agents, use the best printer paper.

First, let’s talk about what makes “everyday” paper.  Everyday paper you find at the store for a few dollars is typically 20# with a 92 brightness.  The weight: 20# describes how flimsy the paper is when you feel it.  The higher the weight, the more substantial the paper will feel to you.  Paper weight will range from about 20# to over 110# (which is cardstock).  The brightness of the paper refers to how bright the paper itself is.  92 bright paper is very dull and will give dull, everyday results.  98 bright or higher papers will give much lively, reactive results.

Choosing the best printer paper is very important.  Typically, when you’re looking at premium paper that will be used for fliers or marketing materials, you’ll want to lean towards a paper with a weight around 44#.  If you need paper to put into a binder for a presentation, 24# is the weight you’ll want for optimum page-turning results.  Many paper manufacturers will have products that state what they’re good for.  HP papers, for example, will have right on their label their purpose.  HP brochure papers would be, of course, for people printing brochures.

The brand of paper you choose is really based on your preference.  While HP is definitely a highly recommended brand by many printing professionals, you can find many other premium papers from manufacturers like Hammermill and Boise Cascade.  So when choosing your brand, find one that meets your printing needs and budget.  The most expensive paper you can buy may not be the one you need and so keep your mind open while shopping.

When finding the perfect paper for you project, cardstock should be your number one choice.  You can find cardstock in a variety of different colors, weights, and finishes.  Cardstock has always been a favorite for people looking for paper for scrap booking, postcards, business cards, and related things.  Found in every color of the rainbow, reams of cardstock can be purchased online and at your local retail store.

No matter what your planning on using cardstock for there are weights and different finishes you need to keep in mind.  65# cardstock is the most commonly used of all the weights available.  The reason why people choose 65# compared the heavier weights like 90# and 110# is 65 is much easier to manage and fold.  If you’ve ever tried to print on really heavy cardstock, you’ve probably experienced a lot of jams.  Some people have even damaged their printers through wear and tear caused by the super thick stuff.  When folding cardstock, 65# weight will look much better than 110.  Basically what happens when you fold thick cardstock, you often get a distorted spine that looks very tacky whereas with the medium thickness cardstock, you don’t have that problem.

When it comes to cardstock colors and finishes, you have almost an unlimited amount of choice.  Whether you’re planning on using on using cardstock as a binding cover for a marketing portfolio or using cardstock to highlight the photographs from a scrap booking project, there is plenty of choice out there.  When choosing cardstock, the finish and color is all about personal preference.

A great brand of cardstock that I’ve always had good luck with before is Wausau.  They’re a famous paper company that has a great line of paper products developed with you in mind.  If you want some worry-free, quality cardstock Wausau papers will always deliver.

Choosing to buy cardstock online is a very important thing if you don’t want to end up getting cheated out of your hard earned money.  Whether you buy just a few reams of cardstock or want to use an online print shop to print on cardstock for you, you need to make sure you pick from a reputable store.  Saving a couple dollars on a ream of paper isn’t worth it if the company take 2 weeks to ship it to you.  So with that in mind, you’re going to want to choose from either local retailer or an online retailer with a strong name.  Before buying online, always research and make sure they’re a company you want to deal with.

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