I think I want, you know, like, the shiny paper?

The question from last week refers to the term "matte" in the printing trade and Shelley Call, although she didn't win the muffins, (Keith Cassebonne's name was chosen from the 12 responses) provided the exact answer I was looking for..she wrote:

To my understanding "matte" is usually used to describe paper with a dull finish. It is often confused with uncoated paper, but you can actually have a "matte" coating that is still dull in appearance. She then goes for the extra credit points by discussing matte finishes which can be applied after the regular inks go down, but we're limiting our discussion to the paper itself.

The key distinction when describing paper is whether it's coated or uncoated. It's at this point that the term "matte" often jumps in and, as Shelley points out, what people may mean is uncoated as opposed to a coated stock with a matte finish. If you don't know whether the paper you have in mind is coated or uncoated you stand almost no chance of communicating effectively what you are looking for. This is something you REALLY need to know. Here are the details which, for once, are relevant:

The ingredient in the mix which provides the coated aspect is clay (in addition to the routine pulp which all paper contains) providing a much harder, more reflective surface as the mix is rolled out in the paper mill. The coating (or absence of coating) changes radically the amount of light the sheet reflects. Printing inks are transparent...light passes through them and bounces off the paper, and the more light that bounces back the more light energy strikes your eyeball. The more your eyeballs are stimulated by this light the brighter your colors appear. The same ink film printed on coated and uncoated stock will appear as two completely different colors. Beware.

This is relevant in two ways; first because you want to predict what your colors will look like and second because you want to be sure you can describe the paper to be quoted.

Your colors should be previewed by checking them against a Pantone (or similar) printed reference book. (The Pantone.com link is on my main page for reference.) All of these terrific guides come in a coated and uncoated version...if you buy printing regularly, and you don't have them you are an accident waiting for a place to happen. But what if you need a preview of an image where there is no single color applied such as a color photograph or full color graphic?

In such a case, hopefully, your print vendor will supply your color contract proof on an uncoated material; if not you will need some considerable guidance from them about what shifts will transpire when the image is printed. In my experience, printing full color (CMYK) on an uncoated stock will often lead to colors which disappoint the customer, unless a muted effect is desired. It doesn't mean that the paper has to be glossy, but most often a coated stock seems preferable.

Here are your choices, (and we're finally going to get to the "matte" term in it's correct context).

COATED STOCKS: In descending order of "shininess".
Cast Coated text and cover, high mirror gloss, expensive, specialized, easy to confuse with regular gloss which has an extra top coating of gloss laminate, varnish, or UV applied by the printer (not native to the paper itself).
Gloss coated text and cover, nice and shiny, clean color, fast drying, little show through.
Dull coated text and cover, same as above but less shiny, easier to read, non glare surface, can be written on, sometimes needs an extra day dry time.
Matte coated text and cover, least shiny, most texture, quality varies A LOT, drying of ink often unpredictable. We're not crazy about it.

UNCOATED STOCKS
Book paper; Offset and opaque offset, similar to varying grades of paper for your copier or laser printer, inexpensive, low weight (for mailing).
Textured and Textured Cover; Available in a wide range of colors, textures and weights, great tactile properties, sometimes availability problems.
Writing papers; 25% cotton usually with a watermark for use as letterhead, envelopes and matching cards for stationery packages. It isn't cheap but the high level of quality is usually worth it for personalized written communication.
Index, tag, bristol; specialized uses for cards, tags, el cheapo postcards.

So there you have almost the entire universe of printing papers if you can remember eight basic grades. You don't need to know the paper business inside out, but these terms are important. Swatch books are available for typical brands and your vendor can help with the (unbelievably arcane) system of weights which apply. It's much more impressive to say "I want it on gloss text" than to resort to "I think I want, you know, like, the shiny paper?"

I appreciate the responses to last weeks question so much I'm going to use the same approach to gather information for next week. A reader asked about preventing color shifts when going from RGB on her monitor to printed CMYK color. Particularly skin tones which come out looking like the subject has a high fever, and blues which pick up a lot of magenta and say "HELLO, I'M BARNEY THE DINOSAUR"! Any responses will be combined with my own meager knowledge for next weeks post, and one name will be drawn from those who reply for the Atlanta Bread Company goodies. Let's see how much expertise we have out there among you PhotoShop experts.

Until then , see you online!

Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business