Paper selection

Digitalization, smartphones, WhatsApp, and other technologies are accelerating our world. Despite this – or perhaps because of it – haptic experiences are more in demand than ever. For publishers, this means paying particular attention to the paper used in individual magazine titles. Paper is not dead – quite the opposite.

On this page, you'll read an interview I conducted with Uwe Bräutigam, Managing Director of Barometer Verlagsgesellschaft mbH in Leipzig, Germany, on the topic of paper selection for magazines. Following this, you'll read more about my personal experiences on this topic.

Interview with Uwe Bräutigam

HCG: " Why did you decide to give Dental Barometer a facelift?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "Dentists in Germany tend to be conservative and accept changes only hesitantly. Despite all this, it is necessary to adapt to market conditions. After almost ten years of Dental Barometer, with various external changes, it was time to stand out from the "oversupply" of specialist journals in Germany. Dentistry is becoming increasingly aesthetic, as patient expectations are also growing. The same is true for the dental profession. They value high-quality and appealing products and services. With these insights and the fact that it was time for a change, this facelift was carried out, and the feedback from both readers and the industry confirmed that we made the right decision."

HCG: " Since the relaunch, the magazine has been printed on a different paper. What criteria did the new paper have to meet for you? And which paper did you ultimately choose?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "When choosing the paper, two requirements had to be met. First, it had to have a higher-quality feel, which is why the cover was made of 300 g/m² paper and the inside paper was made of 115 g/m² paper. Second, the inside paper had to better showcase the images and graphics. That's why we opted for a nearly wood-free, matte-coated inside paper."

HCG: " How did the paper selection process go? Did you receive any advice? Were there any test prints?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "The selection was based primarily on experience with such paper types, personal advice, and, of course, test prints."

HCG: " What are the advantages and disadvantages of the new paper compared to the old paper?"

Uwe Bräutigam: " The magazine is of higher quality, thus has a higher value, and some even perceived it as a new magazine after these changes. The disadvantage is the increased weight and the resulting increased costs, both in production and shipping."

HCG: "How have your readers and advertisers reacted to the new layout?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "Consistently positive. We received a lot of positive feedback from our readers and advertisers."

HCG: "Do you think advertisers are willing to pay higher ad rates if a magazine is printed on higher-quality paper? After all, potentially higher production costs have to be paid for somehow. How do you see this? What are your experiences?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "Basically, it's difficult to achieve higher prices from advertisers. There's too much competition in this segment, and the available budgets of the advertising industry are also shrinking. Better prices are achieved through greater distribution, and this must first be established and, above all, verifiable after such a redesign."

HCG: "Starting in 2018, you'll be switching from 115-gram paper to 100-gram paper for the inside. Why is that?"

Uwe Bräutigam: "Starting in 2018, we will indeed be switching to a different paper, but this is purely to save costs. We will also be slightly reducing the format of the title, which will not have a noticeable impact on the layout or the volume of content. Through this measure and the switch to another German printing company, we can reduce production and shipping costs by four figures per issue, thus meeting the changing circumstances of constantly shrinking budgets."

HCG: "Thank you for the interview, Mr. Groom."

About the Barometer publishing house

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Since 2006, the "Dental Barometer" – the specialist journal for dentistry and dental technology – has been published regularly throughout Germany and features practical case studies on all aspects of dentistry and dental technology. With an IVW-certified circulation of 41,000 copies, it is one of the most widely read dental journals in Germany.

Personal experience report

In the summer of 2017, Austria's largest transport magazine (Blickpunkt LKW & BUS) underwent a relaunch, for which I took over the creative direction and all graphics. As part of this, it naturally made sense to fundamentally rethink all thematic divisions, as well as the structure and visual language of the magazine. This also included the choice of paper.

Previously, the magazine was always printed on matte coated paper. To achieve a higher-quality feel, I did test prints on two different uncoated papers: Claro Bulk 90g and Amber Graphic 90g. The 90g matched the previous paper, so any increase in postage costs was ruled out from the outset.

Uncoated papers tend to make images appear darker than coated papers, as the rough, "open" fibers of the paper naturally absorb more ink than coated paper. However, this also means a longer drying process is required, which slightly increases production time and may result in intermediate storage costs for the printer.

The test prints showed that both natural papers made the photos slightly grainy or “cloudy”:

This is a disadvantage for the advertising industry in this sector, as advertisements must be reproduced in flawless color and image quality. For this reason, the decision to retain the existing matte-coated 90g paper was an easy one.