Major Help for Designers Spec'ing Paper

There is a continual churn of new papers coming into availability, other papers going out of availability that is further complicated by the Renaming / Changing specs (brighter, higher opacity) / and Paper Mill buyouts. As someone in the Printing business, I have difficultly keeping up - though have a great deal of resources to draw upon.

For the average person specifying paper, a partnership discussion with their Printer will give them some excellent ideas on the best paper for the job: Uncoated, Coated, Gloss, Dull, Satin, Colored, Brightly Colored, Textured with Linen finish, Laid Finish, Columns, Duplex. As well as the many different paper weights. I personally love helping with paper. I started as an Estimator 12 years ago and love drawing on that experience to find the least costly, best fit for a job.

If you are specifying multiple papers per day, or looking for ideas in multiple creative pitches, you may want to have your own resource. This website offers access to 4,300 different papers from more than 70 paper mills: http://www.paperspecs.com. There is a fee of about 15 per month to be a member, and they do offer a 1 month trial membership. It may be just the thing for a busy paper spec'er.

J