A guide to choosing the right type of paper

Whether you’re printing a batch of flyers to promote an upcoming event or creating a brochure to showcase your range of products, the type of paper you choose matters.

With a wealth of choice available, we’ve simplified things and collated the most popular paper types into one list. Discover why they’re widely used, what their characteristics are and how they’ll add to your promotional push.

Different types of paper available

To help your business decide what paper to use for your printing project, here are the most commonly used types at Solopress:

Bond paper

Originally, this was the paper of choice for important documents such as government bonds. Now it’s also used for promotions as it’s a strong and durable paper.

Made from rag pulp, resulting in a high-quality feel and finish, bond paper is ideal for creating luxury printed materials. It’s also good at holding ink, which is why it’s frequently used for envelopes, letterheads, reports and other documents. Bear this in mind if you’re looking for a robust paper which still retains its visual impact when written on.

Silk paper

Silk paper sits between gloss and matt on the paper type spectrum. It retains gloss’ smooth finish, minus the shine, and shares matt’s softness but with a silkier coating. This luxury coating makes it ideal for book pages, flyers and magazines. It’s not just a premium choice though – it’s equally as popular for leaflet and poster printing as well.

Pulp paper

When shortlisting greener printing options, pulp paper is a fantastic place to start. Produced using recycled paper pulp, it’s rough to the touch with an uncoated finish – giving it a rustic feel.

As its kind to the environment, pulp paper is a popular choice for companies who are eco-conscious about their printing. If you’re looking to increase your printed output but want to minimise your carbon footprint, this is the option for your business.

Brown kraft paper

Continuing the eco-friendly theme, brown kraft paper is 100% recycled and ideal for attracting the attention of your customer base.

With a natural, vintage-like quality, it’s used by many businesses operating in outdoor industries for their printing.

When brown kraft paper is combined with bold designs, the end results are quite stunning. The contrasts between graphics, text and the darker shade of paper can produce an impressive effect.

Gloss paper

If you want to produce images and text in brilliant colour and perfect sharpness, gloss paper ensures a crystal-clear end product. With a shiny finish, it’s great for brochure printing, where product images will be centre stage. Alongside this, gloss paper can also be written on, meaning it’s ideal for catalogues where customers will be making notes.

The types of paper available for different printed materials

There’s a paper for every kind of printed promotion, but some are better suited for different purposes. The following table includes some of the most popular products available at Solopress and the perfect paper choice for each of them:

The above table is a good reference to use when your business is looking to print marketing materials with Solopress. We offer a huge selection of paper types across our wide product range – so why not consider Solopress for your next printing project?