Terms You Should Know to Understand and Compare Print Shop Products

A brick and mortar print shop will have someone at the counter who can explain the terminology to you, or better yet, hand you a sample of each stock and let you decide which you want. That kind of service isn’t possible over the Internet, so it is worth your time to learn the language so you know how to make the best calls in ordering your printed supplies online.

Paper is the most fundamental piece of the printing puzzle. Weight and thickness are the primary indicators of paper type and quality.

Paper Thickness

The thickness of a single sheet of paper is referred to as its caliper. It is commonly measured in thousandths of an inch (mils or points), pages per centimeter (ppc) or pages per inch (ppi). Points will be the term used most commonly by online printing companies.

Bulk is a less-used term, but it also refers to the thickness of a stack of paper when it is under a specified pressure. Bulk is a consideration when you want the paper to give the appearance of substance or thickness, so it has more application in art paper than printing.

Paper Weight

A ream of paper is 500 sheets. The weight of a paper is expressed in the weight of a ream, but it is more complex than that because each kind of paper is produced in a different size, so comparing 500 sheets of big paper to 500 sheets of little paper does not produce a consistent measure. That’s why weight is usually expressed in pounds (#) followed by a paper type, e.g. bond, offset, text, etc.; and 50# cover is not the same thickness as 50# offset.

A much better measure is grams per square meter (gsm), which is consistent from one paper type to another, but the paper type still needs to be specified as it relates additional characteristics. Online printers often give measurements both as gsm and pounds.

Paper Type

Bond paper, or reprographic paper, is a variety of paper grades used for business, including mimeo and copier papers. Common writing paper is also bond.

Book paper is appropriate for printing books, catalogs, magazines and general use. There are three categories of bond paper:

Uncoated book paper is called offset paper.

Coated book paper (art paper, gloss paper) is best for ink holdout.

The third category of book paper is text, which has a textured surface. Linen is an example. Sometimes the best paper is referred to as text, even when it has no discernable texture.

Examples

While there is no direct correlation, 20# bond is approximately the same thickness as 50# text. You’ve probably seen the 20# indication on copy paper.

Paperboard or board paper is 80# cover (200 gsm). This is the typical postcard or file folder thickness.

Many printers use 200 gsm for printing business cards, but some online printing companies are using 350 gsm to make better quality cards, particularly those that involve photo printing.

As you become familiar with the numbers used, you will start to recognize the standard weights and thicknesses, and from there you will be able to determine exactly what it is that you need.