Understanding Paper Weight
When it comes to letterpress printing, choosing the right paper is essential. There are several different types of paper measurements that don’t exactly correlate with each other. You know, just to make things hard. Here’s a quick and dirty paper weight guide.
Weight in Pounds
Pounds is one of the most common paper measurements we use in the U.S. It refers to how many pounds 500 parent sheets (1 ream) weighs. Text weight parent sheets are typically 25×38″, while cover weight parent sheet are usually 20X26″. That means that text and cover paper weights aren’t exactly measured on the same scale. Most of what we print for business cards, invites and posters are cover weights, while text weight comes in handy for letterhead and other marketing material.
Weight in Grams
GSM (g/m²) or grams per square meter is the paper weight in grams for 1 sheet that is 1×1 meter. This is more common outside of the U.S. It is a great system since it’s the same for every paper grade.
Thickness in Points
Point are a caliber measurement of the actual thickness of the paper. For example 44 pt chipboard measures at .044 inches thick.
Now that we’re in the thick of it, don’t give too much weight to anything.
While these measurements are helpful in comparing papers, keep in mind that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. There’s no numbers for smoothness or rigidity or can’t-live-withoutness. For example heavier weight papers are often more rigid, but the material the paper is made of also comes into play. Contact us and we can help you explore the wide world of letterpress papers for your next project. We’re always happy to send along samples of papers that we have on hand for your hand to experience. Whether you need thick, thin, cotton, handmade or recycled paper, we’ll help you find it. Then we’ll print the hell out of it for you.
Mohawk paper has a great conversion calculator that you can use to make any conversion you need to. You can crunch your paper numbers here.