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home > Graphic Design Articles > PAPER COLORS DO THEY MATTER? Colored Paper Stock and Affect on Printed Materials

PAPER COLORS DO THEY MATTER? Colored Paper Stock and Affect on Printed Materials

by Kay Zetkin

If you are a graphic designer, then you need to be concerned with the way your designs turn out on paper. Do you know whether or not the color of paper stock changes the way your print job will turn out? This article will discuss the topic of paper color and the way it will affect your print job.

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As a kid, I adored collecting lots of colored and scented papers. When I grew up, though practicality found its way in my mind. Now, I see papers as they are – to be used for writing and for printing… Printing technologies have allowed for many kinds of paper to be used.

Have you ever visited a paper store? Yes, lots of paper there, of various shades, size and volume. White papers are even varied – as you may probably notice, too. There are white papers that have soft cream coloring, while others have soft gray, soft blue and even a soft pink aura about them. Once you view them separately, you’ll identify them as they appear to be – of a white color. The thing is, when you view them next to other white papers about, you’ll be able to detect easily that they differ very much in color.

As always accepted and viewed professionally, most people want their official letters and other professional print jobs printed out clean on white paper. Aside from the fact that it’s the most common color, white paper also offers the greatest amount of flexibility regarding paper weight availability. However, there are hundreds of colored paper stocks that might be considered, too.

If you have a print job on the run, does it matter what paper color you should use? And if yes, then what’s the most important thing to consider when choosing a paper color?

Actually, the color of the paper almost always affects the whole print output. Depending on the colored stock you use and the prints you wanted. And the most important thing to consider is what will be printed on the paper.

• White paper

the definite choice if you are going to have full-color photos printed. Sometimes, a designer may use a white background for photos, then, colors will print as expected and then the designer will have the benefit of appearing to have a colored paper stock.

• Colored paper stock

plain, solid and bold texts or photos printed. It is quite advisable when using colored stock is to cover most of the page with a light tint of an ink color.

Indeed, the color of the paper significantly changes the way a photo looks. Any photo – whether of a person, a landscape or a still image can appear radically different when printed on a colored paper. The spot ink colors in the prints will shift also against colored paper stock.

So there’s the lesson, folks, if you are considering a colored paper stock, you should plan from the beginning of the project how to make the printed output look in eventuality. Choose carefully and consider everything with your designer. By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid unpleasant surprises and save time and money, too!

About Author Kay Zetkin:

For her, writing is an effective tool to express your viewpoints... To write is already to choose, thus, writing should be done along with a critical mind and a caring soul. She hopes to become more professional, skilled and mature in her craft. Aside from writing Kay likes to spend her time reading.

About Digital Printing Company Digital Printing Company offers high impact digital printing solutions from prepress scanning and graphics design to customizing documents using Variable Data Imaging technology. They specialize in short run printing of books, manuals, and flyers, as well as large format printing of posters and trade show graphics. For more information, visit their website at www.digitalprintingcompany.com