When the going gets tough, catalogers often look at changing their paper to cut costs. According to the recent MCM Outlook 2010 survey on Catalogs, 39.2% of respondents said they had decreased their paper stock/weight in the past 12 months.
Indeed, moving to a lighter weight of paper can save money, says Dan Walsh, vice president of catalog/publication papers at distributor Bradner Smith & Co. Using fewer tons of paper will generally lower your costs.
Reducing catalog paper weight could also potentially lower your postage costs, Walsh adds, depending on the class in which you mail. “A reduced basis weight may enable you to add more pages to your catalog without a big upswing in cost,” he says.
Then again, depending upon the market demand, heavy papers may be cheaper by the per hundred weight, says Gina Valentino, president of catalog consultancy Hemisphere Marketing. So you have to evaluate the price difference among the different weights of paper.
You must also beware the downsides when contemplating going lighter, Walsh says. For instance, “there will likely be more show-through from the other side of the page, possibly making the appearance of your product less attractive to your customer.”
See full article at: Tips for Testing: What Paper is Right for Your Catalog? |.
