Proper Paper Selection (507 words)

Proper Paper Selection

Save on production, postal and distribution costs

With a substantial postal rate increase proposed for 2001 and soaring fuel prices affecting distribution expenses, catalogers are aggressively looking for ways to contain costs yet maintain their books' appearance. Here are some strategies for trimming expenses:

1. Analyze your audience. Paper selection should be based on the most economical level of printed image quality that will influence customers to buy your products. Compare your catalog to those of successful competitors to assess the appropriateness of your investment in printed image quality for your target audience. Would your customers be sensitive to changes in paper?

2. Consider your paper-grade needs. Coated free-sheet paper is the highest quality catalog paper available, and can reproduce fine product details to near photographic quality. But top-of-the-line coated free-sheet paper is purchased at a premium, due to its higher brightness and opacity, superior smoothness and longevity. Its heavy weight also generates substantially higher postal and distribution costs.

Coated groundwood paper is the predominant paper grade for catalogs, as it offers a high-quality, glossy, full-color look and feel at a lower cost than coated free-sheet paper. As it is available in much lighter weights, this paper will usually provide significant postal and distribution savings over coated free-sheet paper.

High-end, uncoated supercalendered paper is an alternative for printed materials with lower print-quality requirements, if you carefully balance the cost-saving advantages against any product and brand image tradeoffs. These papers are generally the lowest-cost publication papers that can reliably produce four-color work. As weights of coated groundwood and supercalendered grades are similar, savings are realized in the cost of the paper itself rather than in postal or distribution expenses.

3. Minimize basis weight. If you are pleased with the print quality of your selected paper grade, consider reducing paper, postal and distribution costs by testing lower basis weight papers, which deliver the same number of printed pages using fewer tons of paper. Thus you purchase less paper, yet deliver the same number of catalogs, resulting in significant financial savings. Or, you could increase the catalog's number of pages with no increase in paper cost and possibly no increase in postal or distribution costs. Catalogers already using the lightest weight of coated free-sheet can consider moving to coated groundwood.

Some consumers do not see or feel small changes in paper basis weight. However, too large a reduction in basis weight may result in a noticeably thinner and limper feel, and images from the back of the page may show through. To minimize these concerns, reduce basis weight in two- to four-pound increments and closely monitor "feel," image quality and transparency. Consider conducting an A/B split to determine the effect of the change.

For the smoothest transition to more cost-effective paper options, work closely with your paper manufacturer, merchant, broker and/or printing sales rep to manage paper weights and grades.

Dick Bowden is technical director at Champion Web Papers, a division of Champion International Corp. He can be reached at (203) 358-2705 or by e-mail at bowded@champint.com.