KainosPrint

Paper descriptions and advice

Kainos Print offers a wide choice of papers suitable for all the products we offer on the web site. We have included a description of our papers below, as well as recommendations for their use. We only use premium quality paper from several suppliers. We are an environmentally sensitive organisation. Click here to read more about Kainos Print and the environment.

Bond stocks are our most economical stocks. They are suitable whenever price is the major concern. They are sutiable for books and booklets (especially black and white publications), and for inexpensive flyers.

Uncoated stocks are easy to write on, are not reflective, are the whitest stocks we offer, and have a very smooth finish. They are suitable for books, booklets, office stationery and, in heavier weights, business cards.

Our satin and gloss stocks are suitable for a variety of products, as listed below. Satin is a smooth dull finish with a classical, sophisticated, understated and very elegant look. Gloss is a much shinier, more reflective ‘get up and go’ stock. Both are suitable for text and images. Satin is a better choice if reflections from light sources might be a problem.

Here is a detailed description of the various papers we use, along with recommendations for their use.

80gsm uncoated

A white smooth bond stock especially suitable for books, saddle stitched booklets and inexpensive flyers. This is the standard ‘bond’ stock you will be familiar with as it is most commonly used in office printers. Do not use this paper if you want high quality punchy colour reproduction — for instance art reproduction or quality photography — use 115gsm or 130gsm satin or gloss.

90gsm uncoated

A white smooth economy bond stock especially suitable for books, saddle stitched booklets and office stationery. The paper is light and thin, but being thicker than standard 80gsm bond, ‘see through’ is limited. The light weight of the paper is suitable for catalogues destined for mailing. Do not use this paper if you want high quality punchy colour reproduction — for instance art reproduction or quality photography — use 115gsm or 130gsm satin or gloss.

100gsm uncoated

A high quality high white very smooth stock especially suitable for books, saddle stitched booklets and office stationery. The paper is light and thin, but being high quality, limits ‘see through’. It is easy to write on.

100gsm Splendorgel

Splendorgel is a premium product, used for top quality letterhead and similar products. Splendorgel has always been widely specified for the exceptionally smooth surface and high brightness that brings a clean crisp look to any printed piece. Available now in a specially surfaced treated Digital version, Splendorgel continues to lead the way in high white smooth papers.

115gsm satin and gloss

This is a very light coated stock. We recommend it for books with a large number of pages, but not for any other purpose.

130gsm satin and gloss

This is our most commonly used stock. It is particularly suitable where a job needs to be folded. We recommend it as the first choice for

  • small (A4 and A3) posters,
  • all flyers,
  • A4 calendar text,
  • booklet text,
  • booklet covers if the booklet is self covered (does not have a separate heavier cover), and
  • book text provided the book does not have too many pages.

150gsm satin and gloss

This is a slightly heavier stock, and therefore has more luxurious quality feel about it. It can be used for much the same things as 130gsm stock.

  • all posters,
  • all flyers,
  • A4 calendar text,
  • A3 calendar text (larger calendars need heavier text to prevent curling),
  • booklet text for booklets up to about 48 pages,
  • booklet covers if the booklet is self covered (does not have a separate heavier cover), and
  • book text provided the book does not have too many pages.

170gsm satin and gloss

This is a heavier stock again.

  • all posters,
  • all flyers,
  • A3 calendar text,
  • booklet text for booklets up to about 36 pages,
  • booklet covers, and
  • book text provided the book does not have too many pages.

200gsm satin and gloss

  • A2 posters which often need some ‘body’,
  • all flyers, and
  • booklet covers.

250gsm satin and gloss

  • A2 posters which often need some ‘body’,
  • all flyers,
  • A4 calendar covers, and
  • booklet covers.

300 gsm satin and gloss

These are heavy board type stocks.

  • book covers,
  • A3 calendar covers,
  • business cards,
  • A2 posters which may require some rigidity where they are displayed,
  • document folders which need the heavier weight to resist damage,
  • bookmarks (300gsm gloss), and
  • greeting cards.

310gsm uncoated

A high white, high quality smooth board stock very suitable for business cards. Very good if you plan to write on your business cards. More expensive than 300gsm satin and gloss.

310gsm single sided super gloss

This stock is ultra shiny on one side, and uncoated (very dull) on the reverse. It is ideal for greeting cards which have photographs or drawings on the outside, and black and white text on the inside. It is ideal if you want to write on the inside of the card. For the same reasons it makes a good choice for postcards. You can choose this stock for bookmarks. Printing on the uncoated side should be limited to text and lines — no graphic elements.

310gsm Pearl Artboard

A heavy artboard with a degree of ‘glossiness’ about half way between gloss and satin. We highly recommend this stock. It has a good ‘flick’ factor, it is easy to print on, and produces quality results.