Paper Is A Big Part of Direct Mail But It Is Often Taken For Granted, Even By Designers.

Did you know that the first sheets of paper were made in China in about 200 BC?

Since then, it has become indispensable.

Paper was originally intended to be purely a carrier of images and scripts, but because of its natural properties — strength, flexibility, and durability — and its low costs, it has subsequently been developed and exploited to produce a vast variety of items from disposable clothing to loudspeaker cones.

However, the main use of paper continues to be as a surface on which to print information.

It Doesn’t Have to Be White

In recent years, there has been an encouraging increase in experimentation with different sorts of papers and in the diversity of techniques, both traditional and new, which designers apply to them.

Whereas in the past there may have been some resistance to this, both printers and manufacturers are now becoming increasingly accommodating.

The Choice

For designers, choosing the right paper for a job should be just as important as choosing the right typeface — both decisions are part of the designer’s creative input.

However tight the brief, however demanding or restricting the client, the choice of paper is generally made by the designer.

But when we talk about paper for direct mail, there are a couple of other very important factors to consider:

The ‘Green’ Factor

Direct mail is now in the middle a highly-charged environment of more earth-friendly production.

We can no longer just ask for virgin-fibre paper for every single print job. Consideration should be made for alternative recycled or at the very minimum, recyclable paper.

100% recycled paper is not always readily available in every market and if it is, it may be out of the reach of your mailing budget.

If you are printing for a non-profit organization that is linked to earth-friendly activities, or even if you are a large corporation that promotes a cleaner environment, it is important that recycled paper be used.

You should also let your donors and customers know about your initiatives by using the appropriate symbols on your printed materials.

The ‘Production’ Factor

The choice of paper you use in your printing can have a big impact on the quality and timeliness of your mail production.

Certain paper stocks may not be compatible with the mailshop’s equipment, whether it be the printers for personalization or the bindery and inserting equipment.

Although the high-end Variable Data Personalization (VDP) digital printers like Xerox, Kodak, Oce and HP can run more varieties of paper nowadays, many standard laser printers cannot run certain coated stocks, for example.

However, even some digital printers may have problems with more environmentally-friendly paper. It’s always best to check with your printer.

Rainer Fischer
Your Direct Mail Success Coach