My local print shop guy dropped some wisdom about paper weight that totally changed how I think about my flyers

I was in last week dropping off a rush order for a client's event and the owner, Dave, noticed I was using 80lb gloss. He said 'you know, 60lb uncoated would actually make that neon pop way harder because the ink soaks in different.' At first I thought he was nuts but he showed me a side by side test he had on his wall and the difference was wild. Has anyone else had a printer tell you something that completely flipped your approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_morgan592d ago

Dave from the place I go to showed me the same thing with flyers for a music festival I was promoting. He had 100lb gloss and 70lb matte side by side, and the matte made the fluorescent green in my design look like it was glowing. I always thought heavier paper was better no matter what, but he explained how uncoated paper absorbs the ink, so bright colors don't just sit on top and look washed out. Now I ask about paper type before weight every single time.

cooper.spencer2d ago

100lb gloss is a trap unless it's photos. Matte does way more for punchy design.