If youre ready to start designing your own catalog, there are a couple of things that you will need to keep in mind during this process.
First, you will need to pick a size for your finished catalog. The two most common options are: 5 ½ x 8 ½ - This is a regular sheet of paper folded in half, commonly width-wise. Some companies prefer a vertical fold, but this does create an odd shape. This size is quite petite and is less costly to mail. You may find that you will need to insert extra pages to your catalog to accommodate for this smaller size. We recommend this particular size to companies that have a smaller catalog, or that do a lot of mass mailing and need to save on postage.
8 ½ x 11 C- This is a full page catalog that is similar to most of the professionally produced catalogs released by large companies every year. This format allows you a little more freedom with your design and you should be able to fit more products in with less pages. It is a bit more costly to mail, but not much. We recommend this particular size for companies that need to present a very professional image.
Next up, it is important to pick the right kind of paper stock for your catalog. We do not recommend using cheap or thin paper, particularly if you will be printing in color. This creates a lot of bleed through and gives a very bad impression of your company. The recommended paper stocks for catalogs are:
80# Glossy C This is the most commonly used stock in the catalog industry. It is hefty enough to be substantial, but mailing costs can still be kept low. It feels very slick in the hand and showcases images quite nicely.
80# Matte C If you are looking to cut down on costs a bit, this stock offers the same heft as the above paper, but the finish is matte. The paper will feel more like regular paper in your hand, and it will not be slick to the touch.
100# Glossy Cover C If you are planning on mailing out your catalog without an envelope, this is a great stock to use for a cover. We also recommend this stock if you have a catalog that will be getting a lot of use. For example, if you only plan to publish your catalog once or twice a year, it will need to stand up to a lot of use. Likewise, parts catalogs typically use this cover stock so that it will be much more durable to constant flipping.
(From: Internet)
About News
