Stock Tips

It turns out you can judge a book by its cover—if it’s a catalog. Even small books must make big first impressions.

“You need to get [customers] to open your book, and you’ve got about three seconds to do it,” says John Rossiter, a senior sales representative from printing company R.R. Donnelley and Sons.

And while design and copy undoubtedly play larger roles in grabbing customers’ and prospects’ attention, without the right paper stock a catalog cover may go unnoticed or misrepresent your brand. Following is a rundown of what to examine when selecting a cover stock.

Brand and Basis Weight

Many consultants and production experts believe a cover stock’s impact mostly comes from its correlation with the catalog’s brand.

“The main question is: Is there something about the cover stock that’s helping support what I’m presenting?” says Susan McIntyre, president and chief creative officer of catalog consulting company McIntyre Direct.

At first glance, this implies that catalogers selling higher-end merchandise should pick a stock with a heavier basis weight. And conversely, catalogs boasting low-cost or sale merchandise should use a stock with a lower basis weight to reinforce the message of affordability.

However, your merchandise mix may add another dimension to your stock selection. As McIntyre notes, food and apparel catalogers need a heavier stock that reproduces photos well—for example, a stock with a basis weight of 60 or 70 lbs. Meanwhile, a cataloger selling nature-themed items could underscore that concept by using groundwood stock, which gives an earthier look, or an uncoated sheet, which allows ink to spread out a bit.

Regardless of merchandise type, experts advise all new catalogers to begin with the highest-quality stock they can afford, and then taper off gradually as their brands become more established.

“It’s easier to come down [in basis weight] than go back up,” affirms Janie Downey, president of catalog consulting company PublishExperts.

And if you decide to upgrade later on, suggests McIntyre, try buying one roll of stock and using it at the end of your print run to see if it’s really worth testing.

Body Stock and Page Count

Often, the inside of your catalog helps determine the outside.

Your cover stock should agree not only with your brand but also with your text stock, especially if the two interact. Downey recalls an instance when one of her clients extended a photo spread of a quilt from the inside front cover to the first text page. Because the paper stocks were so disparate, the ink spread differently on each page, and the quilt ended up looking like two different colors.

Page count is another factor. As McIntyre points out, some smaller catalogers end up producing a 16-page book with a self-cover. But, she says, if each catalog weighs less than the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) per-piece-per-pound limit of 3.3087 ounces, catalogers might want to opt for 70- or 80-lb. cover stock to make the book feel more substantial.

Cost

McIntyre estimates that the paper market runs in three-year cycles, and, like any market, its pricing depends on supply and demand. If catalogers start increasing demand for #3 sheets, supply at first will be limited and prices will go up. Consequently, #3 sheets become overstocked, and then higher-quality #4 becomes cheaper.

According to McIntyre, there’s always a significant cost difference per yard between paper weights from, for example, 36 to 70 lbs.; but the cost of a smaller difference (say, 10 lbs.) varies with demand.

To a lesser degree, postal costs may figure into your decision on cover stock weight. Some printers, such as Arandell, allow clients to use their postal calculators to determine whether a change in paper or cover stock weight will affect postage costs for the run. These calculators also are available on the USPS Web site at www.postcalc.usps.gov.

Production

After considering brand, body and cost, production issues come into play. In this realm, says Downey, small catalogers have certain advantages, because both their book sizes and press runs usually are relatively small.

For instance, if your printer uses a double web press, you can run an interleaf cover—a process that lets you combine four text pages with four separate cover pages, each on a different web, to save time and money.

Downey offers the following example: If your catalog has a page count that’s not divisible by eight, you’ll often need four extra text pages. She uses the example of a catalog with 44 text pages printed on an M-1000 press: To print, you’d need a 32-page form, an eight-page form and a four-page form. Assuming you have a four-page cover, you can take the four text pages and combine them with the cover to run an eight-page interleaf.

In this way, says Downey, “You save on press costs, you waste less paper, and you have one less pocket to pay in the bindery.”

Regardless of how you print it, cover stocks also must be heavy enough to withstand the Postal Service’s sorting equipment. The Automated Flat Sorter Machine 100, installed in 2000, can rip or even tear off catalog covers before they reach customers. Bill Talbot, vice president of sales, New England, for Arandell, recommends using at least a 40-lb. stock on your cover to prevent this.

Testing

If you decide to make a drastic shift in your cover stock, test it with your audience as you would any major change. Most importantly, test it many times during an extended period.

Sarah Fletcher, a freelance catalog creative director, recalls that one Maine-based apparel cataloger experienced a marked lift the first time it used a linen-finish stock, but not the second time.

As she points out, “It’s all a numbers game. If it doesn’t make money, there’s no point being pretty.”

Stock Options

Special editions may merit special cover treatments. The following processes can help liven up your covers. But be aware: If your printer has to outsource any of these processes, it can boost cover production costs up to 50 percent and overall production time up to 10 days.

- Embossing and Foil Stamping: These processes give text the engraved, elegant look of a wedding invitation. But because they can be produced only by a special bobst press, your printer may have to outsource them.

- Metallic and Fluorescent Inks: Using metallic ink simulates the effects of foil or embossing, and adds about a dollar per thousand to your production costs, reports Bill Talbot, vice president at Arandell, a printing company.

- Varnish: (spot and regular) “It gives a luminosity and makes an item pop,” says Sarah Fletcher, a freelance catalog creative director. “It gives a dimension that you don’t get with matte printing.” Sepia- and rose-tinted varnishes, as well as varnishes that simulate fabrics such as leather, also are available.

- Liquid Laminate: According to Fletcher, liquid laminate gives hard goods a liquid-like gloss. For example, a photo of a glass that’s spot-varnished with liquid laminate looks like actual glass.

- Tip-ons: Though options for these vary by printer, the term refers to objects that can be pasted to and removed from the catalog cover, such as adhesive notes to mark the catalog pages, or, as in one case Talbot recalls, a CD.

PR—Printer Relations

Because smaller catalogers rely on printers to buy their paper, it’s important for the two to maintain a good relationship. Following are some experts’ words on how to do so.

“Ask a lot of questions. Make sure the printer understands the marketing objectives of your catalog, and be sure that once you’ve communicated that, the printer shows you multiple [paper] options.”
—John Rossiter, senior sales rep, R.R. Donnelley and Sons, commercial printer

“Printers have arrangements with certain mills. If a printer buys too much of one paper for another catalog, then it becomes a special buy. Sometimes mills test special paper or make special offers.”
—Susan McIntyre, president and chief creative officer, McIntyre Direct, catalog consulting company

“Get samples from your printer of what other catalogers are doing. And be sure you know your printing facility; most printers will pay the expense just to have you come out and look. Also sit down with your printer on a regular basis to discuss the paper market.”
—Janie Downey, president, PublishExperts, catalog consulting company