Short version
- Coated or uncoated is the first choice. Coated for colour, uncoated for writing on.
- Satin is our coated stock. If someone says coated, they almost always mean satin.
- Solid colour, photographs and metallic toners all want a coated stock under them.
- Coated one side gives you both: satin on the front, writable on the back.
- Not sure? Ask us for a sample before you commit to a run.
Coated or uncoated
Nearly every stock is one or the other, and it is the first thing to settle. Coated stock has a thin sealed surface. Uncoated has none.
Satin is our coated stock. The names do not make this obvious, so it is worth saying plainly: when a printer says coated, satin is almost always what they mean. Silk and gloss are the same idea with a different level of sheen.
The coating keeps toner sitting on the surface rather than letting it sink in. That matters most for three things: solid blocks of colour, photographs, and metallic or specialty toners. Gold and silver keep their shine on a coated sheet and go flat on an uncoated one.
Uncoated has no sealed surface, so colour reads softer and a pen works on it. Coated one side is the compromise: a satin front with an uncoated back.
Go coated for
Colour that has to look its best, photographs, solid areas, metallic and specialty toners.
Go uncoated for
Anything written on by hand, and a softer more natural look.
Satin
Our standard coated stock. Smooth with a light sheen for the sharpest print and most even solid colours.
Satin is a coated stock. When a printer says coated, this is usually what they mean. The coating keeps the toner sitting on the surface instead of sinking in, so solid colours stay solid and photographs hold their detail. It is also what metallic and specialty toners want underneath them: gold and silver keep their shine on a coated sheet and go flat on an uncoated one. A ballpoint won't take on it, so it's the wrong pick for anything people fill in by hand.
Good for
Brochures, flyers, photography, solid colour, and any metallic or specialty toner work.
Not for
Forms, reply cards, anything filled in by hand.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on. More on satin
High bulk
Thicker in the hand than its weight suggests.
Bulked out so it feels heavier than the same weight in ordinary satin, without the cost of going up a weight. The surface is the same coated finish, so it prints the same way.
Good for
Anything that wants to feel substantial without paying for a heavier board.
Not for
Tight packing or postage where the extra thickness costs you.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on.
Uncoated
A smooth, natural-feel stock with no coating. Still prints bright, but with a more tactile finish and slightly less even solid colours.
No coating, so colour reads softer than it does on a coated stock. It doesn't soak in the way uncoated does on an offset press, because we print digitally. Solid colour looks flatter and metallic toners lose their shine, because there is no coating holding them on the surface. Takes a pen without smudging, which makes it the pick for forms, compliment slips and anything written on.
Good for
Letterheads, compliment slips, forms, invoices, anything written on.
Not for
Photographic work, heavy solid colour, and metallic or specialty toners.
You can write on it with a ballpoint.
Coated one side
Best of both. Print pops on the front, you can write on the back.
The front is the same coated surface as satin, so solids and metallics print just as well on it. The back is left uncoated so it takes a pen. The usual pick for anything needing a handwritten message, a signature or a note on the reverse.
Good for
Postcards, appointment cards, hang tags, anything with a written message on the back.
Not for
Jobs needing full colour on both sides.
Coated front, uncoated back. Write on the reverse only.
Kraft
Unbleached brown board with a natural, recycled look.
Kraft is brown, so colours print duller on it than on white stock and pale shades all but disappear. White toner fixes that, either printed on its own or laid under your CMYK as a base.
Good for
Hang-sell backing cards, swing tags, packaging inserts, anything wanting a natural look.
Not for
Accurate colour matching, pale shades or photographic work.
You can write on it with a ballpoint. More on kraft
Black card
Black all the way through the board, not printed.
Colour has nothing light to sit on, so most of it won't show without white toner underneath. White type and logos on matt black look expensive and cost very little to do.
Good for
Business cards, invitations, anything meant to feel expensive.
Not for
Full colour work, unless you are budgeting for a white underlay.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on. More on black card
Synthetic
A plastic sheet rather than paper. Waterproof and hard to tear.
For anything that gets handled hard, gets wet or lives outdoors. It costs more than board, so it earns its place on the jobs that would otherwise be reprinted.
Good for
Menus, plant tags, machine labels, anything outdoors or handled wet.
Not for
Ordinary short-run print, where it is more than you need to pay.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on.
Gloss adhesive
Self-adhesive label stock with a gloss face.
Colour stays bright and the surface wipes clean. The default for product labels and stickers.
Good for
Product labels, jars and bottles, retail stickers.
Not for
Labels people write on after they are applied.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on.
Uncoated adhesive
Self-adhesive label stock with a plain, matt face.
A softer look than gloss, and you can write on it. Good for address labels and anything filled in by hand after it is stuck down.
Good for
Address labels, filing labels, anything written on after sticking.
Not for
Wet or outdoor use, and anything needing bright colour.
You can write on it with a ballpoint.
Synthetic adhesive
Self-adhesive plastic label stock. Waterproof.
For cold, damp or outdoor use, and anything going on a container that gets washed. Available gloss or matt.
Good for
Chiller and freezer labels, drums and containers, outdoor use.
Not for
Everyday indoor labelling, where paper costs far less.
A ballpoint will not take. Pick an uncoated stock if it gets written on.
What the weights mean
Stock is sold by weight in grams per square metre. The number on its own tells you very little until you have held it, so here is roughly what each range feels like.
| Weight | Feels like | Usually used for |
|---|---|---|
| Office paper 80 to 120gsm | Bends easily and folds flat. About the weight of the paper in your printer. | Letterheads, forms, booklet pages. |
| Flyer weight 121 to 170gsm | Still flexible, but enough body that it does not feel flimsy in the hand. | Flyers, brochures, mailers, booklet covers. |
| Light card 171 to 250gsm | Holds its own shape. Bends rather than folds unless it is creased first. | Postcards, menus, presentation folders. |
| Card 251 to 350gsm | Stiff and substantial. Needs creasing to fold cleanly. | Business cards, invitations, hang tags. |
| Heavy board 351gsm and up | Rigid. It stands up on its own and will not fold without a crease. | Premium business cards, swing tags, backing cards, packaging. |
Adhesive and synthetic stocks are sold by thickness rather than weight, so they do not appear in this table.
Still not sure?
Tell us what the job is and we'll tell you which stock we'd run it on, or send you a sample to hold before you commit. It costs you nothing and it beats guessing from a screen.