Paper weight and page count
Paper is specified in grams per square metre, and a notebook at 70gsm feels entirely different from one at 100gsm. Page count and whether it is stated as sheets or pages is worth pinning down too.
What we can help you buy on 1688
1688 stationery wholesale
Stationery is a low unit price category where the quality difference is entirely in things a photograph cannot show: paper weight, binding, ink flow.
It is also a category where branding is usually the point, so colour matching gets specified properly rather than left to the factory.
Request a quote for 1688 stationery wholesale
What we check before you pay
Binding method
Sewn, glued, wire-o and spiral have different costs and different failure modes. A glued notebook that sheds pages is the most common complaint in this category.
Ink type and write-out length
Gel, ballpoint and rollerball behave differently and a write-out figure is testable. We ask for the refill specification rather than the pen model name.
Colour matching
A brand colour needs a reference, not a description. We work from a colour system reference and get a printed sample, because screens lie in both directions.
Cover material and edge finish
PU, fabric, hardboard and recycled card wear very differently. Corner protection and edge finishing are cheap to specify and expensive to fix.
Recycled and sustainability claims
Recycled content and certification claims should come with a document. Where they do not, we report that rather than repeating the claim.
How an order runs
- Send the reference and the brand assets A sample or link, plus your logo in vector form and the colour references if it is branded.
- Paper, binding and ink specified Weight, count, binding method and refill specification agreed in writing with the seller.
- Printed sample and colour approval A pre-production sample of the actual print on the actual material, photographed and shipped to you if you want it in hand.
- Quote and approval Goods, branding setup, our service fee, inspection, consolidation and freight, itemised.
- Inspection with pages counted Sampled units opened: page count, binding, print registration and colour against the approved sample.
- Consolidate and ship Paper is dense and takes moisture; packing and route are chosen with that in mind.