Paper, colour and material references
This study treats paper as both a material reference and an application: a photographed surface, a supplier specimen, a folded sheet, a printed object or branded packaging. These use the existing Type, Material, Colour, Purpose, Figma board, Section and keyword search. A new supplier or stock does not require a new feature or a new visual vocabulary.
In Library, select Study - Color & GF Colorplan Paper in the Figma board filter. Its original Figma board is Study - Color & GF Colorplan Paper.
What belongs in the catalogue
Import independent external images and photographs of external specimens. Keep their original node IDs, board positions and sections. An independently sourced paper photograph inside a personal palette is useful on its own; the authored palette surrounding it is outside the reference catalogue. Editable colour rectangles, flat digital comparison patches, isolated colour-name labels and completed Auspicious layouts do not become texture references. Their audit records and saved files are retained.
A physical sample fan can be useful even when Vick photographed it. That records an external paper product; it is different from an authored brand palette. The RJ Paper fan on this board visibly identifies Colorplan, individual shade names and individual weights. Do not transfer one card's label to an adjacent sample.
Attribute the right thing
| Evidence | Where it belongs | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Readable brand on a carton, label or business card | Source brand, caption and project | Paper supplier, stock or print specification |
| Readable supplier name or website | Source for a supplier specimen; Platform for a publication/capture | That every image in the surrounding section uses its paper |
| Download filename naming family, shade or weight | Search keywords and Identification, explicitly described as filename evidence | Independently verified physical specifications |
| Explicit parent label such as “from GF Smith website” | Capture provenance, with the original section preserved | An unnamed sample's exact shade, weight or finish |
| Matching Figma upload hash | Duplicate/appearance link to the reviewed source image | That two differently cropped placements show exactly the same content |
| Similar colour, a nearby label or a section heading | Board context only | Supplier, country, exact stock, finish or printing process |
The viewer's Details → Identification explains the basis of a name. Unknown remains a valid source. Paper photographs are not all labelled GF Smith simply because this is a GF Smith research board. Branded examples include Evermore London, Obadiah Coffee, Cubitts, Diptyque, Charlotte Tilbury, Jhaveri Contemporary and others; those brand names are retained rather than replaced by the supplier.
Families, shades and weights
Keep Colorplan, Colorplan 50/50, Colorplan Extracted, the historical Extract specimens, Wild and Gmund Bier distinct. Do not collapse Extract into Extracted, or Wild into Colorplan. GF Smith's Extracted page names its current colour range; an exact archived specimen still needs its own label or filename evidence.
Examples of useful searches include paper texture, Colorplan, Extracted, Bitter Chocolate, Nubuck Brown, Cloud Nine, Wild Clay, Gmund Bier, 135gsm, folded paper, envelope, business card and Evermore Ember. Exact stock-related keywords are attached only where evidence identifies that sample. Do not attach every shade listed in a website's navigation to its currently selected colour.
Filename weights remain qualified. For example, GFSmithColorplan_NubuckBrown_350gm is retained literally; it is not silently rewritten into a certified 350gsm specification. The download spelling dusky is preserved in the original layer name, with Dusk as the official Extracted shade name. Product names such as China White are colour names, not country-of-origin tags.
Paper and its application
For a close surface photograph, use Type texture, Material paper, and keywords describing the visible grain or sample. For a folded sheet or envelope, add object and relevant construction keywords. For an identifiable carton, keep packaging, its depicted brand and its packaging form. A website capture remains a web page even when the subject is a paper swatch.
Purpose can be Visual inspiration, Strategy & research, or Brand systems, according to what the image offers. Leave Space, Element, mood, camera shot and light empty unless the image supports them. A green paper sample is not automatically The Estate or Thunder.
Printing terms require evidence. Visible raised or recessed lettering can be described as relief or embossing appearance; exact foil, press, process, finish and production settings need an explicit specimen label or documented project source. Do not infer letterpress, offset, digital printing, coating or manufacturing method from a photograph alone.
GF Smith's Evermore London case study documents Colorplan and Wild for the project, along with production details. This supports the project relationship; it does not establish the exact shade, paper range, weight or finishing specification for every Evermore image on this board. POST's project page provides separate design-project context. Keep the depicted brand, paper supplier and credited designer distinct.
Colour and texture limits
The library measures preview pixels for its colour filters. Screen capture, lighting, white balance, compression and paper curvature affect them. These are visual exploration aids, not calibrated paper specifications, print-ready colour standards or approved physical matches. Compare a physical sample before choosing paper for production.
Uniform digital patches offer colour information but no reliable paper texture. Conversely, a very pale paper image can have subtle real grain and must not be discarded merely because an automatic flat-image check flagged it. Review those images visually.
Audit and resuming an interrupted import
The page folder keeps the image identity map, native PNG renders, reviewed JPEG previews, section map, Identification notes, exclusions and pending export queue. The repository keeps the manifest and imports/paper-study.json audit, with no images or expiring download URLs.
After access returns, resume the saved pending queue, inspect each remaining candidate for external-reference eligibility, then tag it. Reuse valid saved renders. Exact upload-hash reuse is recorded separately and used only with matching displayed aspect ratios. Preserve human corrections and retain old files. A partial manifest remains visibly partial until the whole eligible set has been exported and tagged; current counts and the blocker belong on Progress.