Whether you’re purchasing paper online or in the store, all of the available choices may be a bit daunting. Perhaps you’re not too concerned about brightness or thickness – you just need to print out a few pages. Or, you need durable, sturdy paper in order to make a presentation. Choosing paper that’s too thin may not work well for some projects while choosing paper that’s too thick for other printouts may be a bit bulky. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing printer paper to make certain you always have the right stock to fit your needs.
Printer Paper for General Uses
If you just need a few boxes of standard printer paper for everyday use, you should opt for a general thickness. Fundamentally, everyday printer paper will have a thickness of 20 pounds or 24 pounds. Paperweights, when buying printer paper in the United States, are expressed by the weight of 500 sheets measured together. A stack of paper that measures 20 pounds in groups of 500 is the lightest paper. Even for everyday use, you may not want to go too light, especially if you’re using the paper in some sort of professional capacity.
For Professional Correspondence
When it comes to papers you’re printing for clients or vendors, you may want to opt for higher thickness to add a professional look. For professional-grade products, a weight of 28 pounds or higher is recommended. Similar to going for a low paper weight, you may also want to consider opting for a weight of 32 pounds and under.
What Type of Brightness Is Best?
The brightness factor is another attribute of printer paper that can be quite confusing to some. When dealing with printer paper, brightness refers to the level of light that’s reflected off the page. If you’re using high-quality images and want your overall look to be vibrant, then a brightness of 100 works well. However, if you’re using low-quality images, you don’t want the whiteness of the paper to make your images look dingy. For common usages, a brightness between 80 and 90 works well.
Using Colored Paper
Colored paper is a great choice for making copies or for large groups of handouts. However, for regular documents, it may not work so well. For everyday usage, stick to white paper when possible. However, if you happen to be printing out a resume or a CV, then off-white or light beige paper is acceptable, with a luxurious thickness (think well above 40).
What Is Coated Paper?
Coated paper is something you may use if your business deals with any type of graphics or arts. Think about how a photography book is coated–this is similar to how coated printed paper feels. This is a good choice if you have a brick and mortar presentation, or have illustrations to give to colleagues. Coated paper may also work well for charts and graphs. For everyday use, however, it would be too shiny to use.
When you need help selecting the best products for your Sharp document device in the Houston area, contact Platinum Copier Solutions. We have a professionally trained staff who can answer all of your questions regarding Sharp copiers, maintenance procedures, leasing options, and any other concerns.