by Rachel DiNunzio
This summer Ingram Publishing Services, through Lightning Source and Ingram Spark, launched the option of a Standard 70lb print paper. This is a BIG DEAL.
Initially a Publisher had the option of choosing between the Standard Select 45lb, the Standard 50lb, or the Premium 70lb. Paper weight is defined by the actual amount of weight in pounds a piece can hold before breaking. So for example, Standard 45 paper can hold 45 pounds! Let’s take a closer look at the options available to publishers before the birth of Standard 70.
Standard Select 45: Standard 45 a pretty strong paper, but it runs on the thinner side when it comes to duplex detailed color printing. This paper is wonderful for something like a catalog, magazine, a text based book with spot illustrations, or a comic book. One can expect a significant about of ghosting, but on the positive side, slick images, and a nice matte surface. When I consulted an Ingram representative about Standard 45, he agreed, “Standard select is best used for a title you want a nice color option, but do not mind if the interior pages are a bit thin. The color output on this option is very pretty and you do receive a matte paper, but the thickness of the page is our thinnest offering.”
Standard 50: Standard 50 is an economical way to produce a full color title—it gets the job done! What will work best for this option, is an illustration or image that is not dependent on exact color matching to the original work. I would strongly recommend this paper for a comic book, many digital illustrations or renderings, text based books with select color illustrations, and traditional illustrative styles such as loose watercolors. I would hesitate to recommend Standard 50 for almost all other types of traditional means of illustration. It is not sensitive enough to convey most traditional mediums with integrity. This paper option experiences the greatest ghosting in a layout where the front image is a simple illustration with a large amount of negative space, and on the back a detailed illustration with dark definitive lines.
Premium 70: The Premium option is absolutely gorgeous. The paper is thick and it feels wonderful turning from page to page. The black ink is crisp and defined. The colors are full and true. Premium 70 is beautiful, but it is also incredibly expensive for a trade book.
This put publishers in a tough position. Does one choose affordable and skimp on the interior quality? Or does one make a fabulous product with a strikingly steep price that may put you out of business?
Here is what the decision looked like for a 32 page, perfect bound paperback, full color, illustrated picture book, 8x10 trim, 55% trade discount, and aiming to make roughly $1.00 per unit sold. Standard Select 45 would not be an effective choice for this type of project, so we would be left with two options.
This summer Ingram Publishing Services, through Lightning Source and Ingram Spark, launched the option of a Standard 70lb print paper. This is a BIG DEAL.
Initially a Publisher had the option of choosing between the Standard Select 45lb, the Standard 50lb, or the Premium 70lb. Paper weight is defined by the actual amount of weight in pounds a piece can hold before breaking. So for example, Standard 45 paper can hold 45 pounds! Let’s take a closer look at the options available to publishers before the birth of Standard 70.
Standard Select 45: Standard 45 a pretty strong paper, but it runs on the thinner side when it comes to duplex detailed color printing. This paper is wonderful for something like a catalog, magazine, a text based book with spot illustrations, or a comic book. One can expect a significant about of ghosting, but on the positive side, slick images, and a nice matte surface. When I consulted an Ingram representative about Standard 45, he agreed, “Standard select is best used for a title you want a nice color option, but do not mind if the interior pages are a bit thin. The color output on this option is very pretty and you do receive a matte paper, but the thickness of the page is our thinnest offering.”
Standard 50: Standard 50 is an economical way to produce a full color title—it gets the job done! What will work best for this option, is an illustration or image that is not dependent on exact color matching to the original work. I would strongly recommend this paper for a comic book, many digital illustrations or renderings, text based books with select color illustrations, and traditional illustrative styles such as loose watercolors. I would hesitate to recommend Standard 50 for almost all other types of traditional means of illustration. It is not sensitive enough to convey most traditional mediums with integrity. This paper option experiences the greatest ghosting in a layout where the front image is a simple illustration with a large amount of negative space, and on the back a detailed illustration with dark definitive lines.
Premium 70: The Premium option is absolutely gorgeous. The paper is thick and it feels wonderful turning from page to page. The black ink is crisp and defined. The colors are full and true. Premium 70 is beautiful, but it is also incredibly expensive for a trade book.
This put publishers in a tough position. Does one choose affordable and skimp on the interior quality? Or does one make a fabulous product with a strikingly steep price that may put you out of business?
Here is what the decision looked like for a 32 page, perfect bound paperback, full color, illustrated picture book, 8x10 trim, 55% trade discount, and aiming to make roughly $1.00 per unit sold. Standard Select 45 would not be an effective choice for this type of project, so we would be left with two options.
The right choice to preserve the quality of this book would be the Premium 70, however the only affordable option is the Standard 50. What should the publisher do?
Then this summer, and I swear this happened: the clouds parted, the sun shined through, and little angles started to sing in unison as an email alert popped up with a subject that read, “Standard 70 Now Available”! Ok... there was no singing or clouds parting, but the email did come! Here is the same chart including the new option.
Then this summer, and I swear this happened: the clouds parted, the sun shined through, and little angles started to sing in unison as an email alert popped up with a subject that read, “Standard 70 Now Available”! Ok... there was no singing or clouds parting, but the email did come! Here is the same chart including the new option.
Standard 70: The Standard 70 option provides an ideal paper weight for most picture books. When the reader flips the pages, she can feel the quality and rich thickness of the paper. The paper supports the color ink well, has strong blacks, close to display matched colors, and produces lovely images. All in all, Standard 70 creates a wonderful user experience at a price that is affordable for the publisher and the reader.
All hail the Standard 70!
All hail the Standard 70!