Design Context

Book cloth

Book cloth is a woven cotton that is coated in a starch and pigment mixture that has been subjected to live steam before being spread against the cloth. The granules of starch burst open and thicken, causing the material to thicken, giving the starched effect. Drying is usually done by a steam-heated drum, around which the cloth is wrapped during its journey through the spreading machine. The heat dries the starch onto the cloth. When the material is glued, the process is reversed as water in the glue softens the starch granules, making the material pliable and easy to work with. The starch prevents the glue from penetration through the cloth.

Coloured paper
  The majority of, if not all, coloured papers that are of commercially available are supplied uncoated. The choice of colours and weights is fairly broad, but, as so few mills continue its production, one tends to find the same shades and qualities available everywhere- continued research to uncover interesting alternatives is often a fruitless task.
  Coloured paper can also be supplied with a range of embossed textures on one side of the material
These finishes are currently in high demand for use in packaging, report covers and stationery. Commercially available weights if coloured papers range from around 100gsm moving up to 350gsm. For a thicker material, sheets have to be bonded together or duplexed. This is very effective but can make the material prohibitively expensive. You could consider the option of printing a colour on to a boar of the required thickness, though the edges of the board will not be coloured.
Coloured paper lends itself well to all printing processes- screen printing and foiling blocking are particularly effective. With black papers that have high carbon content, there can be an adverse reaction to foil blocking - this can effect the appearance of the foil. Coloured paper die cuts and creases well, and therefore can be a good choice for the construction of cartons if a luxury finish is required.  However, as the material is usually supplied uncoated, it is soft, making the board liable to delaminate on flaps and closures.