What Papers Suit Your Look Book Style.......

BHS Christmas Look Book 2013 (courtesy of the BHS Creative Team)

Cover printed on Colorplan from GF Smith Papers

So when I am out meeting fashion brands I am always asked what paper is best for look books. There is no hard and fast rule, but I have tried here to offer my suggestions as to what works in my opinion.

If you have invested time and money in good photography the last thing you want to do is ruin that by printing your look book on an unsuitable paper!

 

BHS Christmas Look Book 2013 (courtesy of the BHS Creative Team and the BHS PR Team)

Text pages printed on Heaven 42 from GF Smith Papers

So let's start with the format? From my experience there are some standard formats:

1. Traditional hardback book - durable and premium looking

2. Soft cover book- this can still be luxurious and is cheaper than a hardback cover

4. Half Canadian bound book

3. Fold out poster format

Best sizes: A5 and A4

 
Obviously there are creative formats beyond this, but the above tend to be the more commonly used formats, because they are more standard to produce and therefore fit with the quick turnaround time of a look book (after all the media can't wait!).

So let's talk about what papers work best and what papers to choose to get the impact you are after! My philosophy is that the paper choice is the icing on the cake.....let's not pretend that Vogue are going to ignore a beautifully presented tactile look book that delights the eye before they have even opened it up to see the contents. After all how many of us keep our Jo Malone packaging for a week before recycling it - simply marvelling at how feminine and sophisticated it looks finished with those gorgeous black ribbons!! So let's think about papers for look books in the same way!

Uncoateds are by far the substrate of choice - they have been on trend for years now and evoke a more organic and natural feel. However, choose a poor uncoated and you will regret it! My personal advice is to choose a paper that has a smooth surface and then the ink won't sink so deep into the more porous nature of uncoated paper.

Ideal smooth uncoated papers from @GFSmith to consider are:

*Accent Smooth Glacier White  

*Beckett Expression Radiance

*Mohawk Navajo Brilliant White Smooth

*Mohawk Options (True White & Crystal White shades)

*Mohawk Superfine Smooth (Ultrawhite) – Safe bet in my experience!

*Naturalis Absolute Smooth (White & Vanilla shades) – safe bet! Go for Vanilla shade for a Vintage look and warmer skin tones!


Or if you want to look at a slightly more tactile textured uncoated stock you could look at the following:


*Monadnock Astrolite Smooth – my favourite - feels utterly premium!

*Mohawk Superfine (Ultra White Eggshell)

*Strathmore Writing (Ultimate & Platinum & Soft White Wove) – Traditionally a writing paper but a beautiful toothy cotton texture!

 
Coateds are a little simpler and you are guaranteed a good ink lift. There are a couple of options to consider when looking at Coateds ….

 
*Phoenix Motion (Xennon & Xantur shades) – a favourite with the top British fashion houses! Go for Xantur for a vintage feel and warm skin tones or Xenon for a white shade!

*Heaven 42 – Brightest, whitest coated sheet on the market in the Uk! Traditionally popular for high end property brochures it is now becoming a fashion house favourite!


Or if you want both a toothy textured feel that has good ink lift then you need……


*Zen! A beautifully textured sheet with surface enhancers for superior ink lift on a textured stock……

So those are my tips. If you want further information post your questions or details on this post and I will endeavour to answer them!

All the best,

Rachael X