Paper Paper Paper! Which Paper To Pay-Per Book?!

In preparation for the official release of Apples, Bananas, and Neurons there's much happening behind the scenes, and so allow me to let you in on some of the madness! Let's talk paper! When I first started this project three years ago I had no idea that one of the most difficult aspects of creating my book, on my own, would be, yup, you guessed it....PAPER!!!! Though to be fair, I should have known though that Paper would be my final boss of sorts because this villainous entity is notorious for giving me paper cuts, whilst also cutting into my wallet. Let me explain.

When I conducted my initial search investigating which paper to use, I read that 60 pound or 70 pound matte paper would be best for printing my own comics at home. Delighted at having found my answer, I signed off the internet and returned to drawing and focusing on finishing my book as quickly as possible. Fast forward three years, my book was finished and it was time to get serious about printing, binding, and distributing my book. So of course the next step was printing and for that I needed a printer, some paper and some ink. Luckily, the Epson Eco-tank 8550 came with the ink and so all that remained was acquiring the paper.

As such, I resumed my research on which paper was the best for printing comics and I found that 60 pound or 70 pound matte paper was the best paper for the job. I tested out a bunch of paper and spent a lot of money only to find that matte paper might not be the best for my project. To me, matte paper, while producing rich, sharp colors, has a bit of a rough texture to it which doesn't resemble the type of paper typically used in professionally printed comics. Also, it's a bit too thick. And, more importantly, I learned that matte paper eats up a lot of ink. So not only was I not happy with the paper I invested in, I was fresh out of ink and back to same question I had three years ago: paper paper paper! Which paper to pay-per book?! (Not to mention the fact that it's really hard to find 11x17 in double sided paper--who knew! PLUS, the internet is not very forthcoming about the kind of paper that is used for printing comics professionally--it's literally like asking someone how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop!)

So here I am again, aspiring to become the paper whisperer as I try to ascertain which paper: glossy, semi-glossy, satin, uncoated, pearl, oyster pearl and which company: Red River Paper or Permajet Paper, PPD or Koala paper? Which one of these would be the best fit for me and my project? I might be stumbling a bit now but I'm going to kick Paper's Butt, defeat the final boss, and share my first book with all of you, so just stay tuned!!

Apples, Bananas, and Neurons will be out soon!