Ink Absorption
Uncoated stocks have a porous surface, which absorbs ink and can make colors appear more dull and not as crisp.
If you think about it in simple terms, coated stocks are like a pane of smooth glass and uncoated stocks are like a sponge. Ink will sit nicely on top of a coated (glass) stock surface, giving a bright and colorful, clean crisp output. In contrast, uncoated stocks will absorb some ink (like a sponge) causing colors to appear more dull and less vibrant; even not as sharp.
Print settings are optimized and calibrated for each type of stock to give the best output; however, this effect is a property of the paper. Many designers will add more saturation to colors when designing for an uncoated stock due to this effect. Others will create their designs with this "inconsistent" look as a desired effect, as it does tend to make the print feel more rustic, or handmade.
Heavy Coverage
The use of heavy coverage or full color backgrounds is not suitable for this stock. Minimalistic designs are best! If your design has a lot of color and heavy coverage, we suggest a white and coated stock for optimal results.
Texture
One side of the Bamboo stock is slightly rougher / more textured than the other, meaning designs and colors may appear slightly different from back to front.
Fine Detail
Due to the slight texture of this stock, it cannot hold fine detail as well. The finest detail we recommend is 0.4pt line-weight; however, please note that light colors or lines that are not solid (such as dotted lines) should be made thicker.
Safety Margin (Single Ply)
Due to unavoidable shifts that occur during the production process, it is important to place any essential content of your design (text and graphics) at least 0.125” away from the edge (trim line). Content within our recommended safety margin of 0125” will not be trimmed.
The safety margin can be defined in Adobe InDesign during the document setup process or in the Margins and Columns section under Layout. In Illustrator and Photoshop, you will have to set up these guides in the document.
Setting up proper safety margins will help avoid having your objects look as if they are about to fall off the page and ensure they are not trimmed off.
Bleed
Bleed is the artwork that extends past the trim line or finished size of your product. If any element of your artwork is designed to be printed to the edge, it must be extended past the trim line and into the bleed area by a minimum of 0.125".
The addition of bleed compensates for uncontrollable shifts that occur during the printing and trimming process; and ensures that any content touching the edges does not leave unwanted gaps or borders.