Your printer should explain in clear terms the printing elements you're likely to come across. Here, however, are probably the two print basics you're going to want to be a bit familiar with right from the start.

Paper

Choosing the right paper for your print job can be confusing because of the different sizes and weights of paper. Ask your printer for recommendations on how you can optimize the quality of your printing job while saving costs and minimizing wastage.

Weight. Paper comes in varying weights and thickness, with heavier paper usually costing more. Each type or grade of paper has one basic sheet size that's used to figure out its basis weight. Basis weight is the weight of a ream of paper (500 sheets) in a grade's most standard size.

Of course, that means basis weights for any two kinds of paper can be difficult to compare if their standard sizes differ. In the US, basis weight is expressed in pounds. When written down for print specifications, the # symbol stands for pounds.

The same grade of paper can come in different weights too. Common weights for bond, for example, are 20# and 24#.

Substitutions. If you're having trouble finding a specific type of paper for your project, or if you want a reprint job and can't locate the same paper as last time, find a substitute paper with an equivalent basis weight. Your project's overall look should stay the same. Don't hesitate to ask your printer for recommendations.

If you're having a hard time comparing paper weights by numbers alone, hold a sheet of paper in either hand, close your eyes, and compare the texture and weight with your fingers.

Use substitutions to save. If you order good letterhead - say, on a popular certificate bond - you can order the envelopes on a cheaper paper with the same thickness and weight as the bond. That way you retain an overall effect of quality, for less.

Keep postage costs in mind. If you're ordering a large print job like a catalogue to mail to customers, using a lighter weight paper could save you a lot in postage. Get a mock-up weighed at the post office before ordering the job, if possible. And don't forget to check that you're meeting size, bar code and other postal regulations.

Color

If your printing uses just one, two or three colors that need only their own colored ink to be reproduced (as opposed to needing a full-color combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black), you'll use the spot color process. Spot colors are most commonly specified using the popular Pantone Matching System (PMS). Each Pantone color is assigned a code to help keep your colors the same each time you print. You're more likely to use spot colors for anything that uses less than three colors, such as your logo, your stationery or business cards. Black counts as one color.

If you're printing full color documents, such as scanned photographs, you'll be using a four-color process. The four-color process is a method of producing virtually any color using only four ink colors, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. These are also known as CMYK, with K for black.

A four-color plus one process adds a layer of varnish or a spot color to the fully printed page.