When finished with the design stage of your project, you are ready to place an order with a printing company. Although not the only options provided by commercial printing companies, the following three can be the most confusing. Make sure that you receive the product that you desire by following a few printing tips when choosing paper stock, fold options, and coating.

1. Choose a paper stock that compliments the style and purpose of your project. For a professional appearance, most printed marketing literature give the option of 10 to 14 pt. stock with gloss for protection. The heavier the stock, the more resistant to wear and tear it will be, but your style might require the lighter paper stock for your style. Some printers offer the option of plastic or magnetic instead of paper. The drawback is the expense, but both options give your project a more unique appearance.

2. Some products such as brochures and posters include folding options. The tri-fold is the most common fold and divides the paper into three sections folded in on top of one another. The left side of the paper is folded on top while the right side folds under. Another type folds the two sides of the paper on top of the larger middle area, hence the name gate folding. In accordian folding, the paper is divided into even sections and folded in a zig zag fashion. This type of folding works well for large sizes of paper.

3. Coatings protect the printed product from fingerprint smudges and wear, especially important for those handled brochures and postcards. The two main types of coating offered by commercial printing companies today are UV gloss and aqueous. UV gloss comes in dull or high gloss options, and aqueous coating has a very high sheen. Both are protective but aqueous is less expensive because it is applied to the entire surface at one time. UV gloss can be applied to spots only, which can help highlight important points, or over the entire surface.

Remember that whatever option you choose for paper stock, folding, coatings, or other printing options, it compliments the style of your final product. So place your order thoughtfully to receive the product you imagined.

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