The fine paper world has changed significantly in the past several years. Buyouts and mergers have resulted in a marketplace with fewer players. Elaborate paper promotions of the 1980s and í90s have been replaced by scaled-back versions. The elimination of mill reps and consolidation of sales territories has also affected how fine paper is marketed, bought, and sold.

On the other side of the warehouse, the world of industrial grade paper products is largely unchanged. Two of the most common industrial paper productsócorrugated cardboard and chipboardóare essentially positioned and distributed the same way theyíve always been. The use of these products in applications typically reserved for finer grades of paper has been steady, however, and there have even been times when their use was arguably "in vogue."

Used in day-to-day design projects, industrial paper can bring an element of the unexpected, many times in a cost-efficient way. Even so, industrial grades have never really been aggressively marketed to the graphic design community, and as a result the average designer probably is not especially well versed in nuances of the products. To use them to their best advantage, hereís what youíll need to know.

Chipboard
Chipboard, usually gray or brown in color, is made from re-pulped paper and is traditionally used to add stability to notepads and shrink-wrapped packages or used for divider pads in shipping. Guidelines for printing chipboard are similar to those for printing corrugated cardboard.

Chipboard is sold by the sheet or bundle. Common sheet sizes include 22-1/2 x 34-1/2 inches, 26 x 38 and 28-1/2 x 34-1/2. The thickness of a piece of chipboard determines its weight, measured in points, with 16ñ80-point weights being the most common. There are many types of chipboard, including the following (listed from least to most expensive):

1. Plain chip or tan bending chip. Made from recycled material, plain chipboard is uncoated and comes from the mill light gray, dark gray, and tan. You can only specify the exact color if your quantity is very large.
2. Double kraft. Two sheets of tan kraft with a layer of plain chip inside. This variety is also recycled.
3. Solid kraft. Tan in color, usually virgin fiber.
4. White clay-coated newsbacks. Plain chip on one side and a white clay coating on the other.
5. White clay-coated kraft-back. Tan kraft (virgin fiber) on one side with a white clay coating on the other side.
6. Solid bleached sulphate. Kraft material, white in color all the way through. This is the highest quality chipboard and is designed to have a smooth printing surface.

Feel It
A brochure (above right), designed by Sayles Graphic Design, for the Insurance Conference Planners Association annual meeting is an accumulation of texturesó varnished chipboard, branded leather, silver pin, and stamped sheet-metal. Itís bound with a suede thong held in place by a silver concho. Inside pages are alternately screen printed on premium-grade cover stock and offset printed on kraft paper

Tips For Working With Chipboard
Know the terrain. Chipboard has a tendency to warp slightly, parallel to the grain direction. For certain pieces this may add to chipboardís "handmade" appeal. However, if a piece needs to look particularly elegant or perfect, chipboard may not be a suitable choice. Cut it out. Chipboard can be die cut with a guillotine cutter; lighter weights used in smaller quantities can be cut with scissors or X-Acto knife.

Think heavy duty. Try using chipboard in a project where youíd usually specify heavyweight cover paper, e.g. brochure covers, folders, and postcards.

Test it out. If youíre designing chipboard packaging, always get a sample of the product going into it. Make a prototype of the structural design first and place the product inside to test for durability. In addition to corrugated cardboard and chipboard, there are a variety of other commodity-grade products that can bring an element of excitement to a design project. Kraft paper is a strong paper productó usually brown, made from sulfate pulpóthat is also well suited to print applications. Less common materials to consider include coconut husk, veneer, asparagus board, bark paper, newsprint, blueprint paper, and more.

Corrugated Cardboard
Corrugated board usually consists of outer flat sheetsócalled linersóof puncture-resistant paper that sandwich a layer of corrugated or fluted paper.

Corrugated is priced according to its test weightó the weight that will crush the flutesóand sold by the square foot. The color of the liner is determined by the refinement level of the paper. Three colors are readily available: bleached white is the most expensive, mottled brown costs less, and brown kraft is the cheapest.

Corrugated is available in different flute sizes. Common sizes are A, B, C, D, E, and F or microflute. (The letter designation relates to the order that the flutes were invented, not the relative sizes.) Flute size refers to the number of flutes per linear foot. For example, B flute is approximately 1/4 inch from the top of one flute to the next, or 50 flutes per linear foot. C Flute is 5/16 inch from flute to flute or 42 flutes per foot. E flute is 1/2 inch flute to flute or 90 flutes per foot.

Board thickness is an unreliable metric, due to manufacturing variations. However, a rough guide is: C flute is 5/32 inch thick, B flute is 1/2 inch thick, and E flute is 1/16 inch thick.

Single-wall corrugated has a liner on only one side, leaving the flute exposed and making it less rigid; in fact, it can even be rolled. Double- and triple-wall corrugated are utilized in specialized industrial applications and are extremely durable. At the other end of the spectrum is microflute, with a primary use in fine printed packaging or displays.

Timeless Packaging
The makers of the Sun UV watch, a device that monitors the effects of the sunís harmful ultraviolet radiation, wanted packaging (above right, designed by Wink) that reflected the company and its customers. Materials: The outside is a two-color silk screen on bookboard with diecut.

Tips For Working With Corrugated
Keep the end in mind. Think ahead about what printing method youíll use for the project. Flexography is commonly used to print corrugated, but it is usually only practical for large runs and may be best suited to designs with few fine details. Screen printing is another alternative, especially if your quantity is low or your design involves lots of detail.

Know which end is up. If youíre designing a 3D piece and using a computer-aided drawing program, make sure you are working on the correct side (inside or outside) of the packageóthe dimensions will not be identical for both sides.

Weigh which kind to use. Each weight of corrugated will print differently. When you decide to do a project on corrugated, ask the manufacturer or supplier to trim out a few sheets of other weights and put them into the print run so you can experiment for future applications.

Think small and local. For small corrugated print runs, try your local sign shop or even a clothing screen printer. They can often print corrugated and may be able to do it at a lower cost than a large printer or manufacturer.

Let the experts guide you. Bring a working prototype of your 3D design with you to a corrugated box manufacturer; they will usually produce a prototype on their own CAD system and give you a die template to follow. This will not only help ensure that your design is structurally sound, but also that your graphics all end up in "live" print areas on the finished piece.

Keeping It Together: Binding
Traditional methods of binding such as perfect binding or saddle stitching donít always work artistically or practically with industrial papers. Designers looking for ideas on how to bind their projects often rely on trial and error to find the right solution. Some commercial printers or trade binderies may be able to help, but most are simply not familiar with unusual media, or donít want to risk damaging their equipment by experimenting. An answer might lie in a trip to the hardware store or hobby shop.

Muscle Up
For the project above, Eric Rickabaugh (rickabaugh(at)columbus.rr.com) felt his clientó"The Hardest Working (Crew) Team in America"ówould benefit from a brochure featuring a rugged, black corrugated stock. Unable to print directly on the stock due to its textured surface, he specified a die cut that reveals the printed sheet below it. Reinforcing the robust image of team, the brochure is bound with a nut and bolt.

Tips For Binding Industrial Paper
Take a field trip. Think of your binding method as an opportunity for creativity. There are many types of nontraditional bindings with virtually unlimited variations (see "7 Steps to Innovative Binding" in the April/May 2005, V10N4, issue of DG). Get ideas from hardware stores, junk stores, museum shops, art galleries, book stores, and from related fields such as architectural and interior design.

Size does matter. When choosing binding, consider the depth of your project. For example, when binding with metal hardware, such as Wire-o or Chicago screw posts, the size of hardware should be proportioned to the depth of the pages (meaning not just a longer screw or post but more substantial hardware). Know the score. Always make a prototype (or have one made) using your chosen binding method with actual materials. Covers and texts consisting of heavy papers, chipboard, and corrugated donít bend easily and may need to be scored, depending on the binding method you choose.

Watch the edge. Exercise care with art and copy margins. Some binding methods may necessitate leaving larger margins; your prototype will help you resolve some of these issues in the early stages of the project.

"Appropriate use" is key. Keep end use of the piece in mind. For example, it would be unwise to use sticks or other sharp objects to bind a childrenís book or to use pointed or fragile things on an item that will go through the mail unprotected.

Recommended resources 1,000 Graphic Elements: Special Details for Distinctive Designs, by Wilson Harvey, $40, Rockport Publishers, www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com

Graphic Designerís Digital Printing and Prepress Handbook, by Constance Sidles, $50, Rockport Publishers, www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com

Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, by Michael Ashby and Kara Johnson, $49.95, Butterworth-Heinemann, www.amazon.com

About the author
Sheree Clark is managing partner of Sayles Graphic Design in Des Moines, Iowa; an author and speaker on organizational and business issues; and owner of Art/Smart Consulting, which provides selfpromotion and business strategies to creative professionals.

This article was originally published in the August 2006 issue of Dynamic Graphics magazine.

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