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Let's End the Confusion

Definitions:



• Basis Weight
  The basis weight of a paper is the designated fixed weight of 500 sheets,
  measured in pounds, in that paper's basic sheet size.
  It is important to note that the "basic sheet size" is not the same
  for all types of paper.
  
• Caliper
  Caliper refers to the thickness of a sheet of paper expressed
  in thousandth of an inch. This measurement is taken with a micro meter.
  Normally, paper caliper should not have more than a + or - 5% variance
  within a sheet. Generally, the relation between caliper and basis weight ....
  the greater the caliper (the thicker the paper), the greater the paper weight.
  
• Equivalent Weight
  While different paper types have different basic sizes,
  papers can still be compared by using equivalent weight.
  

The Values in the table below are intended to serve as a guide only.
They should not be used as specifications because there are variances
within the same basis weight due to other characteristics of the papers.
Similar weight papers may vary between different paper manufacturers.

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	-- Bond Ledger	- Offset Text	- Cover -	-- Tag --	- Index -	- Points -	- *Caliper (inches)	-- millimeters --	- Metric (grams/sq meter)
Equivalent	16	40	22	37	33	3.2	.0032	0.081	60.2 gsm
Weight	18	45	24	41	37	3.6	.0036	0.092	67.72 gsm
	20	50	28	46	42	3.8	.0038	0.097	75.2 gsm
	24	60	33	56	50	4.8	.0048	0.12	90.3 gsm
	28	70	39	64	58	5.8	.0058	0.147	105.35 gsm
	29	73	40	62	60	6	.0060	0.152	109.11 gsm
	31	81	45	73	66	6.1	.0061	0.155	116.63 gsm
	35	90	48	80	74	6.2	.0062	0.157	131.68 gsm
	36	90	50	82	75	6.8	.0068	0.173	135.45 gsm
	39	100	54	90	81	7.2	.0072	0.183	146.73 gsm
	40	100	56	93	83	7.3	.0073	0.185	150.5 gsm
	43	110	60	100	90	7.4	.0074	0.188	161.78 gsm
	44	110	61	102	92	7.6	.0076	0.193	165.55 gsm
	47	120	65	108	97	8	.0078	0.198	176.83 gsm
	53	135	74	122	110	9	.0085	0.216	199.41 gsm
	54	137	75	125	113	9	.009	0.229	203.17 gsm
	58	146	80	134	120	9.5	.0092	0.234	218.22 gsm
	65	165	90	150	135	10	.0095	0.241	244.56 gsm
	67	170	93	156	140	10.5	.010	0.25	252.08 gsm
	72	183	100	166	150	11	.011	0.289	270.9 gsm
	76	192	105	175	158	13	.013	0.33	285.95 gsm
	82	208	114	189	170	14	.014	0.356	308.52 gsm
	87	220	120	200	180	15	.015	0.38	312 gsm
	105	267	146	244	220	18	.0175	0.445	385.06 gsm

The darker colored boxes above represent the
"most common paper weights" for that category.

Normal paper manufacturing tolerance within a
paper production run is + or - 5% to 7% caliper

This Table was compiled by Micro Format, Inc.

Copyright 1997-2005 Micro Format, Inc.

This table may be duplicated with permission from Micro Format, Inc.

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• Prior to use, paper should be allowed to acclimate at least
  48 Hours in the environment in which it will be used.
  Optimum storage facility would retain temperatures between 70-80 degrees F
  with 50% relative humidity.

• Before loading paper, fan the sheets on all four sides.
  This creates a small layer of air between the sheets which should help
  printer feeding mechanisms.

• Do Not Stack Materials such as Designer Gold, Designer Silver,
  Super Color Gloss, Super Color Photo, Super Color Photo Cards,
  Super Color Shrink. Feed into printer one sheet at a time.

• Load Materials according to the instructions in the
  printer owner's manual.
  Recommended feeding is generally to use the manual feed tray, or the straightest path through the printer.

• Upon Completion, the unused material should be stored in a
  closed package, re-sealed and stored flat.

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Glossary of Paper Terms

Acid Free Paper
Paper manufactured to a neutral pH reading (7).
Used for fine art prints, limited edition printing, scrapbooking

Antique Finish
Random surface quality created by "felts" in the manufacturing process

Brightness
Light reflecting property of paper when measured under a specially calibrated blue light.

Basis Weight
The weight of one ream of paper (500 sheets) when cut to the industry standard for that specific grade of paper.

Bristols
Solid or laminated heavy-weight printing paper made to a thickness of .006" or higher. Bristols are often used for printed items that require repeated handling.

Bulk
The thickness of paper when compared to its weight. A high bulk paper is thicker but less compact than a low-bulk paper of the same weight and size.

Calendering
Part of the paper manufacturing process where the paper "web" passes between polished metal rolls. This increases the paper's smoothness and provides a uniform thickness (caliper).

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Unit Conversion Calculator Tool

Web based Unit Conversion Calculator Tool that allows conversion of units in 20+ categories such as
Weight, Heat and Temperature, Pressure, Volume, Area, Density, Time, Speed, Velocity, Force, Angle, Power, Energy, Frequency, Computer,
Electric Current, Electric Capacitance, Illuminance, Luminance, Cooking, Shoe Sizes, Currency Converter, Calender Converter etc.

Thermal Paper ~ Shelf Life - Storage
Thermal Paper Information as supplied to us by Appleton Papers.

Additional Definitions of Standard Paper Terminology and Abbreviations

Bond	Uncoated "plain" paper - free from impurities. Also referred to as "free sheet."
Recycled	Paper manufactured from the waste paper stream. All Micro Format recycled products contain a minimum of 100% recycled material including 40% post consumer waste
Waste Paper Stream	Waste paper created during the paper manufacturing process
Post Consumer Waste	Processed Paper that has been re-used in manufacturing new paper products
Carbonless	Paper coated with special encapsulated chemicals that produce a duplicate copy without the use of carbon paper
Thermal	A paper coated with special chemicals that produce an image when heat is applied
Groundwood	A low cost paper that contains unprocessed wood fibers.
Symbol "#"	"pound" - used to describe paper weight Click for additional information on PAPER WEIGHT
Symbol "M"	Meter - 1 meter=39.37 inches
Symbol "mm"	Millimeter - 1 inch=25.4 millimeters
Symbol "sc"	Self Contained Paper paper that can be imaged in a printer without the use of a ribbon
Symbol "cb"	Coated Back - Carbonless Paper (part 1)
Symbol "cfb"	Coated Front and Back - Carbonless Paper internal part in a multipul part form
Symbol "cf"	Coated Front - Carbonless Paper (last part in set)
Symbol "sccb"	Self Contained sheet with carbonless coating on back normally used as part one in a multi part set in an impact printer using no ribbon
Symbol "sccb/cf"	Carbonless set - Self Contained Coated Back Sheet Part 1 Coated Front Sheet Part 2
Symbol "w"	Paper Color - White
Symbol "c"	Paper Color - Canary
Symbol "p"	Paper Color - Pink
Symbol "g"	Paper Color - Green
Symbol "b"	Paper Color - Blue

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