Paper Companies?

[absi586]

Being a noob designer, I've been thinking about where I could order some quality paper just for future reference. If someone could post a list of some good companies that he or she uses that would be great!, I know certain companies send free sample books of types of paper they carry. Let me know, Thanks!

[PrintDriver]

I can't answer your question but I'd like to make it a little more elaborate for the guys who will answer.

As designers, when getting something printed and you request a specific paper, do you have to find a print vendor that uses that specific paper? Or are most amenable to getting any paper you specify? Large format vendors tend to specify what they will print on. Just curious.

[budafist]

Are you looking for paper for your home printer or paper for a large format printer or paper for your local offset printer to use?

Home printer:
Go to your local stationery shops, art shops and craft shops.

Large Format:
Check online, but check with the company that made your printer.

Offset:
Go and see your local offset printer. They have very good relationships with local paper suppliers and can get a good deal. Also, many paper suppliers have a minimum order. Sometimes the minimum can be hundreds of dollars. If you don't want to order hundreds of $ worth of paper, go see a local printer as they can gang up your order with their own orders.

Paper is heavy and can be very expensive to ship. Check out your local suppliers before trying to import paper from other countries.

[urstwile]

PD, to answer your question, we use one printer primarily for any collateral we produce, and we can specify whatever paper we choose, and they buy it and factor it in to what they charge us.

[Kool]

absi586, check your local area for paper distributors, they will usually have sample books you can have.

PD, At the shops I worked for we could get just about any stock we needed. Except of course most designers picked that specialty paper made one sheet at a time by monks in a monastery deep in the Himalayas that had to be delivered by Yaks, that is until they heard the price. :D

[WannaBrie]

As far as free sample/swatchbooks, I've gotten some great stuff from Fox River paper, Domtar, Neenah, Finch, Mohawk, just name a few...check out paperspecs.com they send out a newsletter each month with great paper tips.

[PrintDriver]

Ah ha. That must be why some designers get bent when we say we can't print on something some obscure manufacturer gave them as a sample. But usually we can come close to look and texture. :D

I know those monks well. Some people just aren't scared by the price. LOL!

[doubting_thomas]

Some of our local paper companies will provide designers and design firms
with entire paper swatch cabinets (a pretty complete line of sample books
for the stocks they carry). They do this so that designers can spec the papers
they carry, and pass those spec'ed stocks along to the print vendor, who ends
up buying said stock from the paper house. I'm not sure if they do this as much
any more because not as many papers are licenced to a single distributor any
more. It used to be mills struck deals with one or two major paper distributors.
It's still a possibilty to look into depending how close you are to a major city.

If you work in a print shop, like I do, it's easy to get updated cabinates. We buy
a lot of paper though.

ps Nice bit about the monk stock Kool. That made me L out L:D

[absi586]

Thank you!