Coated vs uncoated
Coated paper is best for:
- photographic printing
- illustrative printing
- creating a smooth and professional finish
- variety
- digital printing
Uncoated paper is best for:
- books
- daily magazines
- designs that include a lot of text
- designs that require a lot of attention (no light reflection)
- more recently used for catalogues and brochures (more exclusive design)
- cheaper
Weight
Weight is required to be heavy for the embossing and screen printing booklets, otherwise these processes will not be as effective. However, the weight still needs to be light enough to effectively fold into a booklet format and can be simply bound without being too bulky.
Opacity
A lighter stock will have a lower opacity, meaning that while it may fold easily into a booklet, some of the ink will appear on the other side. Higher opacity will ensure this doesn't happen but as it will be heavier will be more difficult to format.
I concluded to try making the booklets all in uncoated paper, preferably cartridge as this will allow the prints to transfer well and will maintain consistency with the other booklets.
However, I had a concern that this stock may be too heavy to fold well into the booklet format. I still wanted to show the process on the exterior of the booklets, so if this is the case I concluded that I would choose a lighter stock for the pages on the interior, using the cartridge paper as the cover.
Binding
Ring binding
Good binding method for manuel types of publications. It is better for more heavy duty booklets.
Coil binding
Best for notebooks, booklets, reference materials and calendars. Again may not be necessary for smaller booklets with fewer pages.
Stitched binding
Saddle stitching is most used for booklets and pocket sized books. Works well for smaller booklets with few pages.
Perfect binding
Paperback books, booklets and magazines, but would need more heavy duty page count.
I concluded that saddle stitch binding is the most appropriate for the format my booklets will be taking, as I plan for them to be slightly larger than the average pocket sized book and is the most appropriate for the page count.
Packaging
After doing some research into packaging for the booklets, I knew I wanted something that would hold it together and stop it from being damaged, but I am keen to maintain the same aesthetics as the booklets themselves.
I designed some simple diagrams of my best ideas and mocked them up to see how they would work with the booklets:
The form I liked the most was the box like sleeve that holds all the booklets inside it, however, the only thing that is to be making the booklet a series is the layout, so I didn't know how to design the aesthetics of the exterior, and ultimately decided that the most appropriate option is the individual sleeves for each booklet.
Following this decision, I made a more detailed net of the packaging, with the dimensions 130mm by 170mm, so that they were slightly larger than the booklets, allowing them to slot inside easily.
I would be digitally printing the 'In Print Condition' booklet, so used this design to work out the aesthetics of the packaging.
I needed to ensure durability with the packaging as this is what would be protecting the booklets:
Cartridge paper
- used more for drawing
- heavy stock will ensure durability
- inexpensive
Cardboard
- made up of layers, so thicker and more durable than paper
- thickness may make construction more difficult
- inexpensive
Duplex Board
- used for containers so waterproof, would be durable in the print rooms, not damage the inside
- recyclable
- wax-like texture, not easily stained
Solid Board:
- best for printing
- appears expensive looking
- harder to construct and format to the net
I decided to experiment with cartridge paper, as this is easy to get hold of and inexpensive. I thought this would work well as I need it to stop the booklets being damaged on the inside, baring in mind the booklets are most likely to be kept in a bag or pocket, so shouldn't face too much disruption.
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