Scroll our entire paper glossary to understand these terms like the experts do.
- Acid Free: These papers lack acid in the pulp and have a pH of 7.0.
- Bond: Or copy paper is the workhorse of the modern day office and is best suited to black & white copies. The most common weight is 20# but sometimes copy paper is sold in a lighter weight 16# version or a heavier weight 24# version. The brightness can vary substantially and generally the brighter the sheet the more the paper costs.
- Brightness: Term used to define the amount of blue-white reflectance in comparison to magnesia.
- C1S: Papers that are coated on one side, this coating is normally glossed and the other side is normally just basic matte.
- C2S: Papers that are coated on both sides and this coating is normally glossed.
- Carbonless Paper: Papers that have been treated with chemicals that when writing or typing on the top sheet it transfers on to the remaining sheets below. This paper is normally used for receipts.
- Cardstock: The basis weight of paper needed to make cards. Interchangeable with the term cover, and is also heavier/thicker than normal paper.
- Coated: Paper that has been covered or layered with another material like gloss or silk.
- Cover: A heavy, thick paper. Normally used for covers, cards, and brochures.
- Dull Coating: Gloss paper that is coated with less than a 55 percent gloss reading.
- Felt Finish: Papers that are created by pressing the paper with synthetic felt belts or patterned woven wool.
- Finish: Describes the unique characteristics of the surface of the paper. Linen, gloss, silk, and laid are some of the common finishes of the paper.
- Grain: Describes the certain direction that the fibers form in a sheet of paper. Long grains formulate on the long side of the sheet whereas short grains are parallel with the short side.
- GSM (grams per square meter): The unit of weight used to describe the gram weight of a paper of sheet.
- Index: Inexpensive cardstock weighted paper used usually for business reply cards, and it meets the postal requirements for mailing cards.
- Multipurpose: Multipurpose paper is a catch-all term for paper that is equally well suited for copy machines, inkjet and laser printers. Generally, multipurpose papers are a good compromise between sheet quality, brightness and price.
- Opaque: Used to define paper where no light can pass through it at all.
- Ream: Another word for one or more package of sheets. Typically, all text and bond weights come in a ream or package of 500 sheets and cover weights come in packages or reams of 250 sheets.
- Recycled Papers: These papers are made up of certain percentages of either postconsumer material or recycled fibers. These are the more environmental friendly papers.
- Text: Used to describe the weight of papers normally suited for printing. It’s a term used for varying weights of paper between 22 and 150 lbs.
- Uncoated: These are sheets of paper that lack any type of coating or texture.