Weigh Your Paper Options

Another thing to consider is how the product will look when it reaches its final destination: the customer. A catalog printed on light, low-quality paper may be beaten up by the time it gets on a potential buyer’s coffee table, says Downey.

The Effect on Creativity

McAdow says, “A lot of catalogers aren’t taking basis weight change all the way to the creative department. Going from 40# to 38# probably isn’t super significant. However, opacity can become a big factor, especially if you’re dropping 10 or 15 pounds in basis weight. Two heavy images backed up to one another can engender subtle hue changes and optical issues that affect the look of your catalog. Even small drops in basis weight in the 5- to 10-pound range result in some dot gain and density changes.”