You may have heard the term “FSC Accreditation/Certification” used by print companies previously but not fully understood it’s meaning and benefits to the environment, below is some information of the processes involved in trying to be a ‘green’ company.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC was established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation and is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide.

FSC Accreditation is a certification system that provides an internationally recognised standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organisations, and communities interested in responsible forestry.

The FSC label provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value. See www.fsc.org for more information.

It is the case that recycled papers tend to cost slightly more than papers manufactured from non-sustainable sources, however the more demand that is created for earth-friendly papers and cleaner manufacturing processes, the greater the chance of reduced prices more swiftly. For companies wishing to print their corporate literature and collateral on FSC Accredited paper stocks, not only do the papers come with certification of where they have come from, but the actual wood used can be traced back to guarantee its authenticity (subject to request).

As well as an awareness that papers and boards need to be further sourced from sustainable forestry as an eco-friendly act to the environment, print processes have been given the green treatment too. Good print production houses are more frequently using waterless print production techniques as well as the reduction in usage of solvent based inks in favour of more natural organic-based inks too. Couple this along with non-solvent based varnishes and advancement in biodegradable plastic laminates, we can all help to ‘do our bit’.

Design Inc. is committed to eco-friendly print processes and paper manufacturing methods and we are doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint including the use of electronic artwork supply, PDF invoices and estimates and even car pooling when commuting to work and meetings.

Would you like to do a bit more to help the environment? all FSC certified papers need to be quoted specifically on estimates and invoices to guarantee their chain-of-integrity so if this is of special importance to you and your company, don’t forget to mention so when requesting prices.

If you are considering a forthcoming creative/marketing project, you may be interested in receiving Design Inc’s  Information Pack.

GSM or Grammes Per Square Metre is the measurement used when weighing paper sheet sizes. Although any weight of paper can be used for any printed item, there are generally a few unwritten guidelines we follow in order to make sure the finished product is suitable for its purpose.

For example, if you printed a business card onto a low-gsm paper it will feel flimsy and most probably give a negative view of your company. On the other hand you wouldn’t want to print an A2 poster onto a high-gsm paper stock either. It would certainly feel good quality but it wouldn’t be practical, the posters heavy weight would cost more in delivery and there is a greater chance of it falling down as well as being more bulky for transportation purposes.

Therefore there are general guidelines when printing these types of standard items, of course these are not set in stone and the application of paper weight to each item needs to be considered for every print project. Below are some standard print items and the gms weights used:

Corporate 24 page brochure – anything between 170gsm – 300gsm, an important point to remember is that the more pages printed onto a heavy stock increases the chances of the pages springing open and the brochure not laying flat.

Oversized A4 company literature folder – between 350gsm – 400gsm, folders are used to contain many different items whether datasheets, product sheets, note pads, invoices or proposals and as such need to be strong and study. A lightweight paper stock would simply fall apart under the stress.

Business cards – either 350gsm – 400gsm, business cards are generally your first introduction to a potential client and need to express your company and values suitably. To a customer, a flimsy lightweight business card, might be a reflection of your company and quality of your product or service.

A4 datasheet/insert sheet – between 170gsm – 250gsm, a datasheet promotes your company/products and can be presented within folders, presentation wallets or literature dispensers (possibly at an exhibition) and is generally of a medium-weight feel.

This is especially important when choosing specialist paper stocks. Due to the way papers are manufactured, the fibres in some paper stocks are not as compacted as they are in others, even though their sheet-weight may be the same, some papers will appear to be thicker than others. Whatever the printed item and whatever its purpose is, each project needs to be considered carefully and the correct paper stock decided upon. Paper samples are always available and if necessary mock-ups can also be supplied to get a real feel for the finished item.

Everyone uses standard paper size terms but do you they understand what they mean and why?

International Standard (ISO 216) specifies paper sizes used in most countries in the world today (except for the US and Canada which uses its own sizing standard) and the development of these paper size ratios can be dated back to the Eighteenth Century. Before the adoption of this standard, paper sizes did not fit into any formal system and did not work with metric units and it wasn’t until 1975 when so many countries were using this paper sizing system that the International Standard was formalised.

There are a lot of mathematical fomulas behind the workings of A, B and C paper sizes but the underlying feature is that any successive paper size (eg. A1, A2, A3, A4) measurement is determined by halving the dimensions of the preceding one. For example the most commonly used paper size is A4 (297mm x 210mm) and the next paper size is A5 (210mm x 148.5mm) which is equal to half of the A4 dimensions.

The main uses of A, B and C paper sizes is their application to a particular print project. For example C paper sizes are solely used for the manufacture of envelopes and are sized in a way that would allow an A4 piece of paper to fit nicely into a C4 envelope. B sized papers are larger than A sizes and are generally used for oversized projects such as posters and folders, and allow for multiple page documents to be printed on fewers sheets and more economically.

Commonly printed items such as a postcard (A6), flyer (A5) or newsletter (A4) will be printed at a standard size, it is at the special request of a customer to create something with a bespoke size that would change this. Therefore a request to quote for a postcard would be based on A6 size (148.5mm x 105mm):

• A0 (841mm x 1189mm)
• A1 (594mm x 841mm)
• A2 (420mm x 594mm)
• A3 (297mm x 420mm)
• A4 (210mm x 297mm)
• A5 (148.5 x 210mm)
• A6 (105mm x 148.5mm)
• A7 (74mm x 105mm)
• A8 (52mm x 74mm)
• A9 (37mm x 52mm)
• A10 (26mm x 37mm)

Click on the images below to see paper size dimensions in greater detail.

Printing “finishes” such as lamination and Spot UV varnishes are used to increase both the perceived value and quality of a printed item (such as a brochure, folder or data sheet) and also provide ink-protection.

Depending on the desired result and project budget, each of the print finishes has it’s own pros and cons and in any print situation the suitability of a laminate or varnish needs to be considered carefully.

Lamination is the process of using an ultra thin plastic film which can be applied to almost any paper or board and is more commonly used in gloss, silk and matt finishes. A lamination will cover the whole side or sides of a document and cannot be used to cover a specific area alone.

Lamination Pros:

- can be used to enhance the appearance of standard paper boards at relatively low cost and is generally cheaper than a spot uv varnish in most cases

- will make a paper more durable and long lasting and can actually offer some water/grease resistance

- eliminates cracking of ink on creases

- no set up costs

Lamination Cons:

- can only be used to cover a whole side of a document

- matt lamination over a dark colour will show scratches and finger prints, more so than gloss

UV (ultra violet) Varnish is a liquid coating used to ‘mask off’ any area of a design and enhance it (ie. varnishing text, logos or images whilst leaving the remainder of the page unaffected). Unlike a lamination, UV varnishes come in an array of finishes and not only include gloss and matt but also glitter and colour-flip versions as well as many others.

UV Varnish Pros:

- can be used to enhance specific areas such as text, logos or images rather than cover a whole page

- additional substances can be added to varnish to increases its versatility such as glitter

- can be used in conjunction with a laminate and printed over the top to create a more creative and diverse result

UV Varnish Cons:

- if printed over a crease in a document it will crack in the same way ink does

- if printed over text or images will be subject to ‘make ready’ die charges which increases its cost

- due to additional set up required uv varnishing is a longer process than lamination

A neutral Varnish (which is invisible to the eye) may also be used to ‘coat’ or ‘seal’ the ink and can be applied ‘online’ (the varnish is applied directly to the product on the press after the ink has been printed) or ‘offline’ which means it is applied some time after the print process. This is not the same as a Spot UV Varnish will generally cover the whole of a document to prevent ink offset.

Many factors will determine whether a lamination or varnish is used such as budget, usage, and the creative brief and we at Design Inc. are happy to offer advice and expertise for any requirement you might have.