Text and Cover (Stationery, Envelopes, Heavy Text, and Cover Papers)

Text and cover papers are the high quality prestige papers that are used to make an impression. Text & cover paper mills produce smaller runs of paper with a variety of finishes and colors compared to high volume commodity paper mills that produce massive tonnage of paper grades such as white office copy bond and offset papers for book printing. Text & cover is a small but high-profile segment of the paper market, notably because of the numerous choices available. Whether you are a graphic designer choosing paper for corporate annual reports and identity packages, a couple picking out wedding invitations, an artist making greeting cards, or a business choosing stationery, there is a text and cover paper that is right for the job. Paper buyers should keep in mind that one of the best choices of paper in this grade is environmentally sound paper.

Typically, text & cover papers are produced at smaller mills that do not produce their own pulp.  They have pulp shipped in to produce the paper, so substituting recycled pulp for virgin timber pulp is cost competitive. This is so common in fact that using text & cover paper without recycled content is almost inexcusable. Additionally, because most of the deinked recycled market pulp these mills buy is produced at mills that do not use chlorine compound bleaching, many of the 100% postconsumer recycled content brands are processed chlorine free.

As these mills are smaller and produce many variations of colors, textures and brands, the amount of recycled content can be different from one brand (or even color) to the next, so be sure to note the recycled content percentage. The Conservatree Guide to text & cover papers also gives information on environmental certification programs that certain brands may have qualified for.  These certifications are helpful and should be viewed as an added bonus after recycled content.

Script (or Writing) grade paper is a subgroup of text & cover and used for stationery, letterhead and matching envelopes. Cover paper is the heavier paper used for business cards. Further information about what these papers are used for can be found below.

 About Text and Cover Paper

  • Designer papers, both in white and colors, with a variety of finishes, often lightly patterned
  • Some recycled Text and Cover papers have specks as part of their design. These specks may come from ink dispersed but left in the fibers during recycling without deinking, but frequently they are colored fibers added back into the clean recycled pulp to introduce a design element.
  • Tree-free papers are most frequently found in Text and Cover grades, which are easier to adapt to innovation than other printing and writing grades. They are also most likely to be cost-competitive in these grades.
  • Most likely to combine two or more environmental features
  • Frequently used for letterhead, brochures, invitations, and other kinds of communications
  • Most appropriate for use in printing processes at printshops, while the slightly lighter and smoother Writing/Script papers, which are often companions to Text and Cover lines, have become preferred for use in laser and other printers
  • Writing/Script weights (see below), rather than Text weights, are preferable for use in copiers
  • Text papers are often made into envelopes to match letterhead and invitations
  • Cover weights are heavier papers appropriate for business cards, sturdy brochures, report covers and other stiffer paper needs
  • Text and Cover papers are made in both web rolls and also various printing paper sizes, to match different printing presses.
  • Text and Cover papers are made with similar economies of scale whether they’re made as recycled or virgin, so pricing is very competitive.

Writing/Script Paper

  • Script or Writing papers are often the lighter-weight part of a Text and Cover line, matching its designer elements
  • Their finish is frequently smoother, for compatibility with laser printers and photocopiers
  • Primarily used for correspondence and letterhead
  • Usually available as cut-sizes, especially 8-1/2 x 11

 

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