Our starting point for choosing a stock should be the product's ability to satisfy the aesthetic and technical requirements of a specific project.

Paper is manufactured in a number of finishes, weights and colours to suit a broad range of end uses. A gloss art paper would be an unsuitable choice for a letterhead just as a transparent sheet would be if used for a newspaper.

All paper is engineered to provide optimum results in their particular fields. Copy paper is manufactured with the right moisture content, grammage and grain direction to suit the modern office equipment that it was designed for. When we have to choose between brands of copy paper we might be persuaded to make that decision based on a products environmental credentials.

When we make choices regarding types of stocks then we need to be aware of the final printed result we are trying to achieve. A new car brochure printed on an uncoated, recycled stock will have a very different appearance to one printed on a premium coated gloss art paper.

While some stocks have a higher environmental profile than others, almost all can be recycled. When paper is recycled it makes a positive contribution to the reduction of water and energy use, air pollution and landfill.

When selecting an environmentally responsible product it is always important to review its environmental credentials. Now, responsible papers are often inexpensive, white, smooth and crisp, and can be very different in appearance to that of traditional recycled stocks.