Swift Printing Company's Official Guide to Paper
What is paper? Just kidding, kind of. Not all paper is made equally! At Swift, we have a collection of 30 different house paper types (we call them “paper stock”) at all times.
Before we go through them, let’s review a quick glossary of common paper terms:
Weight
For paper, Text means text weight. Copy paper can be a certain text weight, typically between 50-80 pounds. Paper in this class is thinner than cardstock. The higher the text weight, the thicker the paper.
Cover is the print world’s word for cardstock. This paper is going to be stiff and bend only a little. The lower weights will have more give to them, but consider this to be similar to business card stock or invitation stock.
Coatings
Gloss will have a (you guessed it!) glossy coating on the paper. If full color is printed on it, it can be a little more matte than the plain white version, but it will have a lot more shine than uncoated paper and will have the most vibrant colors.
Satin is a finish similar to gloss, but more subdued. Pick this option when you want some shine, but not a lot. It will have more vibrant colors than uncoated, but less vibrancy than gloss.
Dull is slightly different from matte. It is slightly more vibrant (but less vibrant than satin and gloss) and because it is a coated stock, it will have some sheen to it.
Matte Is the least vibrant of the coated stocks, and has the least amount of sheen to it.
Uncoated is, as it states, paper that has no coating. Many refer to uncoated as ‘matte’ but the two are actually quite different. Uncoated will have more muted of colors than gloss, but will be much easier to write on. In this list, if there is no coating stated, it is an uncoated stock.
Premium vs. Economy vs. Standard
For us at Swift Printing, premium is used to refer to the smoothness of the paper. Our premium stocks are going to be exceedingly smooth and have little to no texture. Economy will have the most texture to it – isn’t bumpy, but likely comparable in texture to average copy paper. Standard is in the middle between the two. If you have something that needs to be written on (think: pads of paper, appointment cards, forms), economy or standard would be your best option. Smoother stocks can have issues when being written on by some pens (we’ve all been there!). Premium is great for handouts and postcards.
Swift House Stocks
Here is the list of our stocks we keep on hand:
60#, 70# and 80# Swift Text Economy
70#, #80 and 100# Swift Text Standard
70# and 80# Swift Text Premium
65#, 80# and 100# Swift Cover Standard
80# Swift Cover Premium
80# and 100# Swift Text Gloss
80# and 100# Swift Text Satin
80#, 100# and 130# Swift Cover Gloss
80#, 100#, 110# and 130# Swift Cover Satin
120# Swift Cover Gloss Premium
120# Swift Cover Satin Premium
110# and 130# Swift Cover Pure White
130# Swift Cover Linen
130# and 160# Swift Cover Premium
We have seven uncoated text weight stocks, ranging in weight from our 60# Swift Economy to our 100# Swift Standard.
If you’re looking to make a disposable menu for a restaurant then our 60# and 70# economy are both great choices for budget friendly, high-turnover items.
If you’re making a booklet or a newsletter, our 70# or 80# standard stocks work perfectly for the inner pages. This is also a great option for flyers, brochures, and handouts! If you don’t want the cover to be too thick, our 100# text will be noticeably thicker while still not being too bulky. If you’re looking for a smooth stock, choose our 70# or 80# Swift Premium! These two stocks are great for most common projects, but are especially great when looking for a quality stock for your resume or office letterhead. When you really want a lighter weight stock that will impress, look no further.
We have four coated text weight stocks, an 80# and 100# text in both gloss and satin. These are both great for flyers, posters, brochures, and booklet pages.
Swift Says – It is harder to write on coated stock, so stay away from these if they are planned to be written on. Pen on coated paper tends to smear something awful.
We have three lightweight uncoated cover stocks. Our 65# Cover Standard gives just a bit more stability than our 100# text while still retaining just a bit of bend when unsupported. Our 80# Cover Standard & Premium are very robust versatile stocks and great for things like small handouts, invitations, covers for booklets, and art prints.
We have two lightweight coated stocks. Our 80# Cover Satin and Gloss work perfectly for things like flyers, booklet covers, handouts, postcards, and palm cards. Just like the text weight versions, avoid using this for forms or other items that are going to be written on.
Our 100# Cover Standard is easily our most versatile stock, and we offer it in gloss and satin, too. This is our suggested starting weight for business cards. It works great for invites, postcards, tags, door hangers, cards, covers, and more. If you are looking for a non-glossy cover stock, this is it.
We offer 110# Cover in uncoated and satin and 120# Cover in gloss and dull. Both stocks are slighly thicker than our 100#, but if you’re looking for something just a bit more durable for a business card or flyer without going overboard, this is a great option for you.
We offer 130# Cover in gloss, satin, uncoated standard, uncoated premium, and linen. This stock will really stand out in thickness and quality. If you’re looking for painted edges, this would be the thinnest recommended stock. These stocks are largely used for business cards, but some people use them for postcards or thank you cards. The linen version of this stock is very subtle. With some very pronounced textured stocks, there can be issues printing because the toner or ink doesn’t get into all of the grooves. The texture of our linen is more mild, and while noticeable to the touch, it won’t cause gaps in toner or ink distribution.
The thickest stock we keep on hand is our 160# Swift Cover Premium. Its thickness is comparable to a chipboard – sturdy, inflexible, and very durable. Mostly used for business cards, this stock offers a thickness and smoothness that leaves an impression. In fact, this is the stock we chose for our very own Swift Printing Company business cards.
For orders that need a Swifter turnaround, it is ideal to use one of our house stocks listed. But fear not, if you don’t see something you like, we can get anything that you want. (Think French Paper, Astrobrights, and Crane.) Shipping times on special orders can vary from stock to stock, but with good planning no problem. We keep a sample book of these house stocks in our front office. If you would like to feel the weight or texture, feel free to stop by and say hi! We’d love to show you the options we have available.
If you aren’t sure which of these would be best for your project, give us a call at (616) 459-4263 or send us an email at thankyou@swiftprinting.com!
