Commercial printing terminology

There’s a lot more to know about commercial printing than just how many copies you’ll need.

Printers also need to know what “stock” you would like them to use. “Stock” is just the type of fabric or material, usually paper or card, that you want the finished product to be printed on. Stock is measured in grams per square metre (gsm).

They may also want to know whether you want a gloss or a matt finish or if you want an extra layer of protection by applying a cello glaze coating, for instance. Finishes like this can help protect the printed material and can be useful if you want the finished product to stay in good condition over time.

Binding is also important in commercial printing jobs. Catalogues or magazines can be saddle-stitched, which basically means that they are folded over and secured down the folded edge with staples or thread. Otherwise, they can be perfectly bound, where the pages are bound with a spine (like most thicker magazines) or even ring-bound. The binding you choose can affect the final costs.

Common commercial printing paper density

• Newspaper is approx 45gsm
• Ordinary Office Paper is approximately 80gsm
• Business Cards are between 300 & 400gsm

Common commercial printing paper sizes

• Business cards are about 89mm x 53mm
• Standard business envelopes are called “DL” size. This is 220mm x 110mm. You can fold an A4 sheet into thirds and fit into this size envelope.
• A4 paper is 210mm x 297mm and is a very common format for office paper, magazines and catalogues.