Coated paper – perfectly finished in matt or gloss

The most typical and most popular paper for printing is art print paper (coated paper) which is available in a matt or gloss finish. But how is this paper created? Today’s article will tell you how.

The difference between Offset and Art Print Paper

Anyone who has had a flyer, poster, etc. printed will be aware of the two most common types of paper: Offset and art print paper. The main difference between these types of paper is the treatment of the paper. For art print paper (known as coated paper) a “coating” is applied to the base paper which acts as an “ink-receptive layer” which then holds all of the ink pigments in the correct position, close to the surface. Therefore there is no guarantee that it would be possible to write on this paper with a pen, but it does achieve very good colour fidelity and clear contrasts.

Offset paper (uncoated paper), on the other hand, is untreated and therefore more absorbent. This means that it is possible to write on the paper after it has been printed by an inkjet/laser printer. Paper weights of this type are often used for letters, while coated paper is used for flyers, brochures, etc.

How coated paper is created

Art print paper is created by applying a special coating colour (consisting of pigments, binders and additives or admixtures) to the surface of the paper with a roller or brush. A matt surface is usually created during the first stage via a coating process. A shiny surface can be created via the subsequent smoothing of the paper in a calender machine. A calender machine consists of several consecutive heated rollers (see image). The paper is given its final surface finish by passing through hard and soft smoothing rollers. The influence of pressure and temperature changes the volume of the paper. At the same time the paper is polished, giving it smoothness and the desired shine. Using this method, coated paper of the same weight can have different levels of stiffness and thickness.

The production of matt, silk-matt and glossy coated paper results in improved coordination of the characteristics of the paper for the respective print product and for its later use.

Matt coated paper is preferred for the printing of products with large sections of text (brochures, folded information leaflets, etc.) due to the lower reflection of the surface and the improved legibility of texts.

Glossy coated paper is particularly suitable for print products with a number of large pictures. The pictures (e.g. high-quality product images) stand out due to the light reflection. Glossy art print paper is ideal for the printing of image brochures, posters, folded leaflets and advertising material, as high picture quality is often of great importance.

Silk-matt coated paper combines the characteristics of glossy and matt paper. Thanks to the soft gloss effect of this paper, it is particularly suitable for print products which contain text and pictures and where the aim is to present an image of high-quality (e.g. brochures, folded leaflets or CD covers).

In order to choose the correct paper from the many different types and thickness, it is recommended to examine the look and feel of the paper. In order to help you many print shops offer the possibility of ordering samples.
In our shop we provide a print sample brochure with all available paper weights. It can be ordered free of charge and will help you to choose the correct type of paper required depending on the print product, message and aim.