Printing Paper Commonly Used in Offices: Which Paper Is Best for Proposals?

The printers we commonly use in the office generally fall into the following three categories.

Among these printer types, inkjet printers generally produce the highest print quality.
However, inkjet printers have a higher cost per page and are not well suited for environments where large numbers of proposal documents need to be printed regularly.

For this reason, most offices rely primarily on laser printers.
In this article, we will compare different types of copy paper using a color laser printer for printing proposals and presentation materials.

There are so many different types of copy paper available that it can be difficult to know which one to choose.
If you are going to print something important, you naturally want it to look as clean and professional as possible.

When creating proposals for presentations or materials that contain many photographs, it is important to pay attention to the paper’s whiteness level in order to improve readability.

A higher whiteness level means higher contrast in the printed result.
Higher contrast makes text appear sharper and clearer, which improves overall readability.

If the printed materials are only used internally within the office, choosing the most affordable paper is often sufficient.
However, for documents such as proposals that will be seen by clients or external audiences, it is worth paying attention to paper quality and cost.

In general, thinner paper tends to be less expensive, while thicker paper becomes progressively more costly.
Since higher-quality paper also increases the cost per sheet, it is important to consider the possibility of printing mistakes and wasted prints when selecting paper.

To determine which paper works best for printing proposals, we compared the following points.

The color printer used for this comparison was a Canon model.

Since it has been used for many years, it is a slightly older model.
*Please note that results may vary depending on compatibility with your own printer.

The following four types of paper were compared.

1. Copy & Laser Paper
[Size] A4
[Sheets] 500
[Thickness] Approx. 92μm (0.092 mm)
[Basis Weight] Approx. 67 g/㎡
[Whiteness] Approx. 93%
[ECF (chlorine-free) bleached pulp] 100% plantation pulp

2. SHARP PP118MA4
[Size] A4
[Sheets] 500
[Thickness] 89μm (0.089 mm)
[Basis Weight] 64 g/㎡
[Whiteness] 87%
[Recycled paper content] 15%

3. Ricoh Full-Color Copy Paper Type 6000 (70W)
[Size] A4
[Sheets] 500
[Thickness] 95μm (0.095 mm)
[Basis Weight] 79 g/㎡
[Whiteness] Approx. 90%
[ECF bleached pulp] 100%

4. FUJI XEROX Paper for Color & Monochrome Printing
[Size] A4
[Sheets] 250
[Thickness] 102μm (0.102 mm)
[Basis Weight] 104 g/㎡
[Whiteness] 100%

The Copy & Laser Paper had been the standard paper regularly used in the office for both monochrome and color printing.
Because of its high whiteness level, it provides strong contrast, making text appear clear and sharp, while also remaining reasonably priced.

The SHARP and Ricoh papers had similar basis weights and paper tones.
Although they are more expensive than the Copy & Laser Paper, there was not a significant price difference between the SHARP and Ricoh options themselves.

The FUJI XEROX paper clearly outperformed the other three papers in terms of basis weight, paper quality, whiteness, and price.
When selecting paper for proposals, the first three papers were considered practical candidates, while the FUJI XEROX paper was chosen as a premium-quality comparison benchmark that exceeded the others in nearly every category.

As mentioned earlier, differences in paper color can be judged not only visually but also by a measurement called “whiteness.”

Among the four types of paper prepared for this comparison, the FUJI XEROX paper was the whitest.
The next whitest paper was the Copy & Laser Paper.

The FUJI XEROX paper has a whiteness level of 100%, which clearly indicates that it is whiter than the other papers.

Differences in texture and feel refer to the thickness and surface quality of the paper.
Paper thickness can be judged both by touch and by measurements such as paper thickness and basis weight.

Paper thickness is measured in units such as millimeters (mm) or micrometers (μm).
Basis weight refers to the weight of the paper per square meter.
As the weight of the paper increases, the paper generally becomes thicker, so basis weight is often used as an indicator of paper thickness as well.

Among these four paper types, the FUJI XEROX paper had the best overall feel.
The FUJI XEROX and Ricoh papers felt smooth and slick, while the Copy & Laser Paper and SHARP paper had a rougher texture.

When comparing the printed text on each paper type, the Copy & Laser Paper produced the clearest and sharpest text.
The FUJI XEROX paper came in second.

The other two papers did not produce blurred text, but there were noticeable differences in overall readability.

This difference is mainly caused by contrast resulting from the whiteness of the paper.
The results showed that paper with a higher whiteness level makes text appear clearer and easier to read.

As with text readability, paper with a higher whiteness level tends to make colors appear clearer and more vivid.

In cases where large areas are printed, like in the image above, thicker paper can sometimes produce richer and more attractive colors.
This is because the way ink is absorbed and settles into the paper differs depending on the paper thickness.

As a result, thinner paper may sometimes make colors appear lighter or less vibrant.

When printing photographs, the atmosphere or mood you want the images to convey can be just as important as the whiteness of the paper.

For example, among these four paper types, the SHARP paper has the strongest yellow tint, but photographs appear the most natural and well blended on it.

On the other hand, for charts, graphs, and other illustrations, it is generally better to use whiter paper because the visuals appear clearer and easier to read.

As with color reproduction, thinner paper can sometimes make colors appear lighter.
Compared with the other papers in this test, the Copy & Laser Paper made colors appear slightly less rich.

The price differences mainly come down to the cost per sheet. The prices and unit costs of the four paper types are as follows.

These were the prices at the time of purchase. The list includes a mix of bulk-package prices and single-package prices.

Please note that some products were not available in bulk packages, so the pricing comparison may not be perfectly uniform.

In this article, we compared print results using a color laser printer.
Based on the comparison, the paper we ultimately selected was the Ricoh paper.

Among all the comparison categories, the FUJI XEROX paper delivered the best overall quality.
However, after considering factors such as price, document bulkiness, and overall practicality, we decided that the Ricoh paper offered the best balance.

Even with something as ordinary as copy paper, there are many important points worth paying attention to.
At first, choosing different paper types depending on the purpose may feel inconvenient, but when considering printing quality and overall cost efficiency, using the appropriate paper for each situation proves worthwhile.

We would like to make it a habit not only to create high-quality documents, but also to choose the most suitable paper for each intended use.

References:
Copy & Laser Paper A4
SHARP PP118MA4
Ricoh Copier/Printer Paper Products
JD COAT (Color Copy/Printer Paper, Double-Sided Coated Type)