It’s a tough question to answer, and one I hear all the time: Which paper stock should I choose for my book? And although it’s a tough question, it is an important one because the paper you choose will tell your potential buyer what kind of book this is. Go too cheap, you might lose some buyers to a different title. Go too expensive, you just wasted your money.
First-time publishers need to understand the difference between the paper they purchase at an office supply store versus what is used by a professional printing plant. While paper weights at an office supply store are measured as “bond,” printing plants use a different measurement called “offset.” I won’t get into the details of why bond and offset weights are different for the same type of paper, but just know that if you multiply a bond weight by 2.5, you get the offset weight. For example, the 24# bond paper you purchase at Office Max is the same thickness as a 60# offset sheet used by your printer.
That 50# offset paper proves to be fine for many books. If your book has no or few images and no color inside, there is little reason to print on a much thicker paper. Save your money. You may want to check the pricing for 60# offset, but I usually don’t recommend printing on paper much thicker than that for most novels, etc.
Don’t assume that the 20# bond paper you saw at Office Depot is going to be identical to the 50# offset paper you asked your printer to use. It won’t be. Different paper manufacturers produce their papers with different brightness, different opacity, etc. So always ask for paper samples from your printer.
Choosing paper stock for a book printed in full color is sometimes a little trickier. You may want to go with a glossy paper stock to make any images “pop” a little more. However, glossy stock often feels thinner than standard paper stock.
Most full color books are printed overseas, where a different standard of paper measurement is used - grams per square meter (gsm). To calculate gsm, multiply the offset weight by approximately 1.5. So an 80# gloss sheet in the U.S. would be the same as a 120 gsm sheet overseas. You’ll definitely want a thicker paper stock for your color book versus a black & white book.
I’ll say it again: Samples, samples, samples. Don’t be shy about asking your printer for paper samples. It’s probably the most expensive choice you’ll make when printing your book; make sure you get it right!
When it comes to cover stock, for a paperback book a 10 pt. C1S cover is standard. However, it is usually very inexpensive to upgrade to a 12 pt. C1S cover. People do judge a book by its cover, so this might be a cost-effective upgrade.
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