How to request paper samples

Shade and hand vary between mills. A sheet looks different on a screen, in a photo and on your own bench.

We send swatches before a first order in a new grade, so you agree the hand and shade on paper, not on screen. Nothing ships in bulk until you confirm the spec.

1. 01

   Name the job.

   Tell us what the paper does: wrap fried food, line trays, interleave garments, run through a press.

2. 02

   Name the candidates.

   List the grade and two or three GSM values to compare. Unsure? Send a photo of the paper you use today.

3. 03

   Give the delivery address.

   Swatches go out with the next dispatch or by post.

4. 04

   Test and reply.

   Test every swatch on the real job and tell us which one passed.

Test in your own light. Hold each swatch to the window and against the product the swatch will wrap or line.

Test on the real job. Wrap your own food, line your own trays, print your own artwork, run a few sheets through your own machine.

Test the weight. Cut a square of 10 cm by 10 cm, weigh the square, and multiply the grams by 100 to check the GSM.

Note what failed and why. A torn wrap points to a heavier weight. A grease spot points to OGR. A smudged print points to a glazed MG face.

Record the chosen grade, GSM, format and shade on a specification sheet. Our free template lists every field.

Once you agree a spec, we keep the spec on file. Each repeat ships against the same sheet you approved, and we flag a batch change before the order ships.

If a grade is ever discontinued, we send the nearest alternatives as swatches before you run out, so you test the change first.

A swatch of a grade we hold costs nothing. Ask for as many grades as your job needs to compare.

For food wrapping, ask for butter paper and OGR side by side, in two weights each.

For printed bags and wraps, ask for white MG and brown MG, and print your artwork on both.

For interleaving and general wrapping, ask for white MF in two weights.

For carton liners and void fill, ask for kraft and bleached kraft, and crumple both in your own carton.

Request samples before you plan the first order, not after. Plan the sample stage into your calendar.

A first order in a new grade runs through samples, approval and, for some grades, a new mill run. OGR from stock ships in 2 to 3 weeks, and a new mill run takes 6 to 8 weeks.