When choosing paper, most people look first at the colour and the design, and treat the substrate as a small detail at the end. Yet it is the paper that decides whether a business card feels solid, whether a poster holds on a wall, and whether an invitation says "this is an important day" the moment someone picks it up. The same design on two different substrates is, in practice, two different products. So it is worth knowing what hides behind the number on the label and how to choose paper consciously.
- Grammage (g/m2) tells you how much a square metre of paper weighs - and roughly how stiff it is.
- Different products have their typical grammage ranges - one for a flyer, another for a business card or folder.
- Coated paper gives vivid colours, uncoated - a natural, matte character.
- Decorative and ECO papers build the brand impression before anyone reads the content.
- A matte or gloss finish changes how the same colours are perceived.
- The substrate is matched to the purpose and to how long the piece should serve.
Grammage, or what the number on the paper really says
Grammage is the mass of one square metre of paper, given in grams - hence the g/m2 notation. A thin newspaper is around 45-60 g/m2, an office printer sheet is usually 80 g/m2, and a solid business card can be 350 g/m2 or more. The higher the number, the stiffer, thicker and more "serious" the paper feels to the touch as a rule.
One caveat is worth remembering, though: grammage is weight, not thickness. Two papers of the same grammage can differ in thickness, because one is more compact and the other is bulkier and airier. So the number is a great guide, but not the only one. The feeling of stiffness and "body" is best checked by touch, which is why for important jobs it is worth asking for a sample of the substrate.
Grammage also affects a few things that are easy to forget when looking only at the design. Heavier paper is more resistant to creasing and copes better with being carried in a bag or pocket. In double-sided printing a thicker substrate limits show-through, that is the situation where content from one side is visible from the other. Finally, grammage changes the weight of the whole shipment - and with a large run that has logistical meaning. None of this is technical detail for its own sake, but things the recipient of the piece will feel.
Which grammage for which product
Each type of product has its proven grammage range - one in which it looks and performs best. This is not a rigid law, but a good starting map.
- Flyer - lighter substrates work well for large distribution runs, heavier ones give the impression of a more exclusive piece to hand over in person.
- Business card - here stiffness and durability matter, because the card travels through wallets and card holders; the thicker the substrate, the firmer the handshake in paper form.
- Poster - often thinner than you would expect, because it is meant to hang flat on a wall rather than stand on its own; colour reproduction quality matters more here.
- Presentation folder - needs a clearly thicker, stiff substrate to hold documents and not bend in the hand.
- Invitation - a thicker and often decorative substrate builds a sense of occasion the moment the envelope opens.
If you are hesitating over a specific product, for each item in the catalogue we suggest a sensible choice - take a look, for example, at the business cards or flyers page, where it is easier to compare variants on a concrete example.
Do not follow the rule "the thicker the better". Paper that is too stiff on a folded flyer can crack at the fold, and paper too thin on a business card feels temporary. Match the grammage to the function: what should bend - thinner, what should hold its shape - thicker.
Coated or uncoated - two different characters
The biggest difference in how paper is perceived comes not from grammage, but from whether it is coated. These are two families of substrate with completely different characters.
Coated paper has a thin layer on the surface that smooths the structure and closes the pores. Thanks to this the ink stays on top rather than soaking in - colours are more vivid and saturated, and photos sharper. It is the natural choice for materials where juicy photography and intense colour matter: catalogues, promotional folders, posters, packaging.
Uncoated paper has a natural, slightly rough and porous surface. The ink partly soaks in, so colours are calmer, matte and more muted. In return, uncoated is pleasant to the touch, easy to write on and has a warm, "papery" character. It fits company letterhead beautifully, materials you need to write something on, and designs meant to feel natural and elegant without shouting.
Coated shouts with colour, uncoated whispers with character. Neither better nor worse - simply for different jobs.
Decorative and ECO papers - a substrate that tells its own story
Beyond classic coated and uncoated there is a whole family of substrates that are themselves part of the design. Decorative papers have a noticeable texture - linen, ribbing, a subtle relief - or a light pearl sheen. Such paper builds a sense of exclusivity before anyone reads a single word. It works well for invitations, elegant business cards, diplomas or premium materials, where the ritual of handing over and touch matters.
ECO papers are recycled substrates or ones with a natural, rawer look, often with a visible structure and a warmer, cream shade. Beyond the environmental aspect they also carry a visual message: they speak of naturalness, craft, a conscious approach. For brands that care about such an image, ECO paper becomes part of the communication, not just a carrier of print. In our range this family is represented by eco flyers on Kraftliner, Kazan ecru with grass and Flora - the warm shade and tangible texture are built into the stock itself.
On decorative and ECO papers colours behave differently than on smooth coated stock - the texture and shade of the substrate slightly mute the colours, and very fine details can lose sharpness. If a design leans heavily on intense colours and thin lines, order a proof print on the final paper before you commit to the whole run.
Matte or gloss - the finish changes everything
Finally comes the surface finish, which can transform how the same design is received. Gloss reflects light, deepens contrast and makes colours look more saturated and energetic. It emphasises photos beautifully and adds dynamism, but it shines strongly in light and shows fingerprints more easily.
Matte does not reflect light, which makes it elegant, calm and comfortable for reading longer texts. Colours on it are a touch deeper but less loud, and the surface feels more subdued and "more expensive". The choice between them is not a matter of quality, but of character: energy and shine versus calm and class.
A simple example shows how much the finish changes. The same photo of a dish on a glossy menu will look appetising and almost tempting, because gloss deepens the juiciness of the colours. The same photo on the matte cover of an elegant brochure gains gravity and calm, but loses part of that shouting appetite. Neither finish is better - each simply serves a different story about the brand. You will find more on the substrates themselves and their uses in our guide to materials and papers.
How to match the substrate to the goal
The easiest way to start choosing paper is to ask what the piece really serves and how long it should "live". A flyer handed out en masse and thrown away after a few days need not be as thick as cardboard - readability and a good run cost matter. A business card or folder represents the brand for weeks and months, so a solid, stiff substrate works for credibility. An invitation is meant to build the mood of an occasion, so texture and thickness mean more here than anywhere else.
It is also worth remembering that paper does not work in isolation from the rest. It interacts with colour - on coated the same shades will be more vivid than on uncoated - and with the finish, because matte will show a design differently than gloss. That is why substrate, colour and finish are best chosen as one set of decisions, not separately. If you are planning a design with colour in mind, our post on how to choose the right paper for print will also help. And when you are unsure which substrate will best convey your idea, simply choose a product in our catalogue - for each one we will suggest a sensible set of grammage, paper and finish.
