Let’s carry out an experiment, shall we?
William Wood, the home of premium mirrors and occasional furniture, is running an exciting treasure hunt for its customers. There are five golden tickets released for five lucky winners, with each ticket granting the finder up to £1000 worth of goods, courtesy of Mr William Wood.
And quite rightly, Dynamic Print was tasked to print these golden tickets. So we thought this was a great opportunity to help you understand the potency of choosing the right paper, weight, finishing, and even cut.
For starters these golden tickets will accompany deliveries, and they must look the part and feel like a fragment of victory in the hand of the fortunate winners.
So, here is a carefully layered set of text and lines set on 4 various paper
substrates (DL size). While you may not get the chance feel the paper through the screen as you read this, we hope through the visuals and our ability to describe the paper, you’d choose wisely on your next print run or branding project.
First on the list, is the 250gsm Silk Paper:
Often used for brochures, flyers, swing tags, and postcards, silk paper is
somewhere in between matte and glossy paper. This is the stu most business cards are made from. It has a smoothness to it, and a subtle simple sheen e ect which allows for capturing colours and the sharp detailing of design once printed on. It’s not the most weighty; it’s pretty lightweight with minimal glare.
We chose the basic white shade of this paper to help you understand how basic the design can be conveyed. I mean, if you saw this, it would be minimalistic, but for sure, it will be bland, and truthfully it bears a certain level of contradiction seen as the
boldest of words reads “Golden Ticket” – pretty dismissive for the message at hand.
The second paper, is a 400gsm Cotton Fibre Paper:
In terms of weight, we’re getting somewhere. Close to twice the weight of the silk paper sample, you can feel the substance of what is being offered for heaviness sake. Cotton paper allows you to experience the organic pulp texture of paper.
There’s no lustre, but there’s an honourable sense of importance as you make contact with the smoothened fibres of paper. There’s a high perception of unadulterated purity being communicated by touch. However, for the shade of white chosen, we are somehow still lost in translation, as to why a Golden Ticket will carry such form. One thing to never forget from this blog is that, good choice of paper is good listening.
Whether you’re a brand manager, designer or printer, you must train yourself to listen to the message, graphics and text being communicated before suggesting the best substrate. Your responsibility lies greatly in aligning paper and design. The correct choice of paper will place legitimacy on communication. Conversely, the wrong choice of paper will introduce doubt on both the message and the messenger’s credibility.
The third paper, is a 300gsm Gold Silk Paper:
By now, you should be sold on this paper. Just from the choice of colour and visuals, the penny finally drops that this is a Golden Ticket. Quite interestingly, this is less in weight compared to the cotton substrate, but it does the job because it is paper that is mindful of what the message is. If you received this, you’d most likely believe you have won compared to the white substrates.
The last but not the least, is a Die-Cut Embossed 300gsm Gold Silk Paper:
All guns blazing, among all the various paper treatments so far, you know this is it! What a difference embossing and die-cutting does to such a simple item!
Embossing, the art of raising certain portions of your print area, when applied appropriately and in the right measure, goes a long way in elevating your brand and its message. And it certainly does from the unforced borders applied.
The choice of die-cutting also props this piece up, resembling a stamp.
The inverted scallop edge could have been applied on the all four edges of the paper but, Dynamic Print chose the balance of only the vertical edges. Sometimes genius is knowing not to over-do what you have done. You see, with this piece you are not just handing over a surprising statement of victory to the winner, but William Wood as a company is also reinforcing the care and attention to detail they pay already in their products. If you’re telling someone they have just bagged a grand, it matters to speak and present yourself from a place of opulence. A win-win!
It goes to show that paper can expose who you really are and how you think. Paper is a tool that paints the identity of ideas.
Whether it’s a golden ticket, an invitation, or premium packaging — the choices you make in paper, finish and form speak volumes long before a word is read. At Dynamic Print, we don’t just print—we help you listen to your message and translate it into materials that match its weight, tone and purpose.
Looking to elevate your brand with thoughtful, tactile print that tells your story before it’s even opened?
Let’s work together to make your next print piece unforgettable.
