ryanlaughlin - the paper strips are the little samples the shop assistant will spray onto a strip of cardboard. It can give you a good idea of how the fragrance smells, however nothing is as good as spraying it on your skin.
My suggestion is to go go a few fragrance stores, and just tell them that you're in the market for a cologne/fragrance. If the person is good, they'll guide you through the different kinds of scents (ie, woody/musky or fresh/citrus), then will give you a sample of a typical type in those ranges. You may prefer one over the other, or you may be partial to both. Hmmm, do you have a ladyfriend who could go with you? Seriously, if i were in the same country as you, i'd be only too happy to take you to a perfumery and help you!
Here are a few suggestions to get you going:
Issey Miyake pour homme - classic sample of citrus/fresh
Acqua Di Gio
Hugo Boss - my hubby sometimes wears it and i love it!
A few in the Armani Range are nice- you can get woody/musky or citrus/fresh styles in this range.
It's not a huge list, but you could write them down and take them with you to see if you like them?