How To Buy Paper for the Printing Industry

A high-speed printing press has high-volume paper requirements.

Printers buy paper from distributors because they need it to run their businesses. The type of paper purchased is driven by clients' needs and the jobs they print. When selecting paper for a job, printers and clients consider characteristics such as color, brightness, texture, opacity, weight, and size. The choice of paper may be driven by price, availability, and end use of the printed piece.

Things You'll Need

• Paper distributors
• Paper samples

Instructions

1. Become familiar with sources for wholesale paper for the printing industry. Open an account with Unisource, a large paper wholesaler that can deliver in most market areas. Try to secure an account with net 30 terms, allowing you to pay for the paper on a monthly basis, so you can offer net 30 terms to your most reliable clients. Find at least one local paper supplier, for back up and quick turnaround jobs, such as JC Paper in Oakland, California.

2. Become familiar with the variety of papers available and the types of jobs they are used for. All paper stock is either coated or uncoated, with coated stock having a smooth, or plate finish, and uncoated stock having a rougher finish. The next most important attribute of the stock is its weight, with 60-lb. and 80-lb. stock commonly used. Note that cover stock is heavier than book stock, even if both a listed as 80-lb. stock.

3. Purchase an adequate supply of the most commonly used paper, depending on the needs of your shop, such as 60-lb. white stock in letter size, 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

4. Help clients choose a paper for their printing projects. Some clients, such as graphic designers, may know which paper they want or ask for a specific brand of paper, such as Nekoosa or Britehue. Get samples of paper products from Unisorce and your local paper distributor. Show clients the samples that are best suited for their projects, such as linen-textured paper for stationery.

5. Create a price quote for your client when he chooses a paper for a printing job. Calculate the quantity of paper to buy for the job. Some printers will buy a large parent sheet and cut it before or after printing. Buy 10 percent more paper than you need for the job. Use a commercial printer's reference tool, such as Franklin Estimating (franklinestimating.com), to create an accurate quote. Show the client a proof of the job upon request before printing.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase paper in sizes appropriate to the printing presses in your shop. Small printing presses handle paper sizes 8 1/2 by 11 inches, 8 1/2 by 14 inches, and 11 by 17 inches. Large-format, sheet-fed printing presses can print sheets up to 20 by 26 inches or 25 by 38 inches, depending on the press. Web presses print newspapers at high speeds from paper on a large roll.

References

• Paper for the Printing Business

Resources

• Unisource Paper
• The Paper Mill Store