Basic Supplies: Paper
Monday, October 5th, 2009
Now that we’ve covered Cutting Tools, Adhesives, Inks, and Stamps, this week’s installment of our Basic Supplies series is going to talk paper. I know. It seems pretty obvious — of course you need paper! How hard can that be?!
Well, for the uninitiated, not understanding your choices can be overwhelming, expensive, and fraught with frustration over inconsistent results that can easily lead you to the conclusion that this craft is just not up your alley. Trust me. I remember the feelings well. So let me break it down for you!
All paper is not created equal.
Construction paper, index cards, poster board, and printer paper has its place. But unless you are going for a very specific or edgy look, that’s not what you want for your card making or scrapbooking.
Quality Cardstock.
Don’t skimp here.
Cardstock is your most basic supply, and you will want to have plenty of it on hand. It is your canvas — the first layer that you build upon to create your cards and layouts, and the medium that you actually stamp and color your images on.
Papers come in various weights, finishes, and absorbencies. For your card and layout bases you want a good quality paper. An 80 lb. weight cardstock will give your projects the stability to maintain their shape when you start adding layers. You want your friends and family to be able to stand up the cards you make for them without collapsing, and you want your scrapbook layouts to stand up to years of browsing — so start with the best!
Surface finish and absorency are a matter of personal taste for scrapbooking, but are very important for stamped images. Textured surfaces will not take a stamped image very well. Flocked, velvet, and metallic finishes will require special techniques. For stamping, you want a smooth finish for the best results — but be careful! This is where absorbency comes into play. Too much and your ink will bleed. Too little, and pigment ink will smear unless set with heat.
Stampin’ Up!® cardstocks take the guess work out of the selection process. The 80 lb. weight has a quality “feel” to it that you will recognize the minute you touch it. Available in both textured and nontextured, and manufactured specifically for stamping, you can be assured that you will get the best possible inked image.
Color.
Let’s stop right here and talk cardstock color and the best way to select a “stash” that will not break the bank.
If you’ve seen any of my projects, you know I am not a kahki, beige type of person — and I rarely, if ever, use a stark white. I love color! Bold, bright, funky colors make my heart sing! Quiet, muted, earthtones appeal to my more “pensive” side.
That said, when you start stamping, you will want a decent supply of good quality whites, creams, beiges, and grays. These neutrals give you the most flexibility for stamping images – you get truer ink colors and unlimited options for selecting project color schemes.
I keep a steady stock of Stampin’ Up!® Whisper White, Very Vanilla, White Naturals (with flecks of fiber) and Going Gray for stamping on. For my card bases, I do like colors, but most often use the Whisper White, Very Vanilla, White Naturals, and Kraft. Again, they give me more flexibility for adding color, and I get the most mileage from my crafting budget.
These basic choices come in packages of 40 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheets for $7.50. My standard card size is 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches — exactly one half of a standard sheet. That’s less than $.10 per card — or just pennies for the background of a stamped image.
I add color with my layers, inks, and accessories. Using the same 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheets, you can get four 4 x 5-1/4 inch base layers per sheet of any color you choose. And you can keep adding layers.
Sticking within a single color family – Stampin’ Up!® Bold Brights, Earth Elements, Rich Regals, Soft Subtles, or In Colors guarantees a cohesive, matching color scheme for your project. Purchased in variety packs, the 8-1/2 x 11 inch size gives you 3 sheets of 12 colors (or 6 sheets of 6 colors for the In Colors) for $7.95.
The variety packs also give you a chance to “discover” which specific colors you tend to reach for the most, and you can stock up on those with the confidence of knowing they are already your favorites.
Designer Series Papers.
Yes. You are probably going to want to add printed papers. They are a marvelous way to add color and depth to your projects. The Stampin’ Up!® Designer Series Papers use designs, patterns, and colors that coordinate with our stamps, cardstocks, and inks.
Available in 12 x 12 inch sheets, they come 12 sheets to a package with 2 each of 6 double-sided designs. That’s 12 coordinating designs per package, on 100 lb. text weight* paper for $9.95 or $11.95 (depending upon the design).
When used for accents, or even large layers or matting, you are talking pennies per project and endless possibilities.
* Text weight is a lighter weight than cardstock. The 100 lb. text weight of the Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper has a feel that is similar to a light weight cardstock.
Archival properties.
For scrapbook layouts, be sure to select papers that are both acid and lignin free. Acids added in the paper manufacturing process will do exactly what you think they will — they will detoriate anything they come in contact with — like your precious photos. Lignin causes discoloration over time — from yellow to brown.
“Archival Safe” is not always the same thing — look for the words acid and lignin free.
All Stampin’ Up!® cardstocks and Designer Series Papers are both acid and lignin free.
A few final words.
Now, you may be wondering, “So ok. I buy. But what about all this other paper I have on hand?” The simple answer? Use what you can for accents and mats. But where it counts – for your canvas – stick to quality choices. You won’t be sorry.
That’s it. Of course, there are other paper options out there — and Stampin’ Up!® carries a wide variety of specialty papers – chipboard, window, metallics, glossies – and we will get to those in a special Beyond the Basics series. For now, I hope that I have taken some of the mystery out of selecting papers.
Next week, we will wind up our Basic Supplies series with a discussion of cleaning supplies and storage options. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
