Weight-ing Around
For the layman (and don’t worry I thought this way too) the difference in paper isn’t just whether you’re printing on A4 or A3.
There’s the thickness of the paper too (called weight), processing type, finish which includes its transparency, feel and durability.
We’ll try to sift through the complications to help you find what paper is best for the job with our handy guide.
Paperweight
The ‘weight’ is measure in grams per square metre (gsm) – this is the way of identifying different kinds of paper.
The most common we see is photocopy paper is usually between 60gsm and 90gsm while thicker paperboard (thin card) is between 150gsm and 350gsm. The higher the grammage, the thicker the paper while thinner papers are less opaque.
Exceptions to the Rule
A higher gsm won’t always mean a thicker paper as the type of processing can also affect the thickness. The wood fibre content (from compacting trees) and additives (paper from more eco-friendly sources) can also have a bearing on the paper.
This means that two pieces of paper with the same gsm but different manufacturing processes can have different thicknesses.
Weight Matters
The products on offer all have a recommended paper weight. It’s worth considering what the recommendations are as having too low a grammage for a catalogue for example will make the pages transparent so you can’t read the page you’re on. Similarly, if it’s too thick you can’t comfortably read the book!
What Paper Should I Use?
At Scribble we’ve got many different kinds of weights and our customers like all sorts of paper for different kinds of jobs.
Our Whitebox 70gsm & 80gsm
The standard, reliable paper for filing work, internal usage usually coming in reams of 500 pages. What’s pretty cool about this paper is that it helps preserve natural rain forests.
Navigator 80gsm-120gsm
Produced in Portugal, Navigator is the world’s best-selling premium office paper coming in quite a range of grammage. Can be used for official paperwork for clients; letters of recommendation and great with all variety of colours and printing techniques.
Xerox 80gsm
Award winning Xerox paper is popular with the more conscience-oriented consumer, made from 100% Post-Consumer waste and can be used on all laser printers and copiers.
Woodland Trust 75gsm-80gsm
Woodland trust paper boasts zero CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in their production, committing to an eco-friendly production.
Papago 80gsm-160gsm
Papago is coloured paper. What colours you ask? ALL OF THEM… well there is a wide range of colours in various sizes (best thing to do is ring us and ask Jake).
‘Special’ Paper
It’s not all standard printing paper either: there are speciality types which you can read about here (so much choice).
Need any more help? Give us a ring and chat through what you need?
And… order paper here from our shop site.
