What Weight of Paper Should I Buy?

I've been selling stationery for almost a quarter of a century, and the question I hear most often is, "What weight is this paper?" That question may seem straightforward, but the answer can be pretty confusing. Direct comparison is surprisingly difficult. Hopefully, I can make this easier for you by ignoring all of the technical terms and concentrating on the types of papers relevant to the average print-it-yourself consumer.

There are several varieties of paper and each has its own means of weight reference. A printer may try to sell you a job using 50# offset, implying that the use of 20# bond would result in an inferior product. But, for all practical purposes, 20# bond and 50# offset are the same.

Commercial printers are usually the only ones interested in technical information about paper weights and types. The desktop publishing needs of the average consumer will require no more than a few simple rules. The paper used for desktop publishing, also called designer stationery, comes in both bond and cover weight.

The name "Bond Paper" has added to the confusion. I will explain that later on. Regardless, the average consumer cares little for the multitude of paper types. You only need to worry about the terms Offset, Tag, and Index if you plan on retaining a printer for your project. You don't normally find these types of papers already cut down to sheet size. When you purchase paper in a retail store in order to print it yourself, you will often find your choices limited to bond and cover weights. The weight of bond paper is usually 20# to 32#, while cover paper is available only in 65#. I like to use the chart below when comparing paper by weight.

Paper Weight Equivalents

Bond/Writing -- Text/Offset ------- Cover
20 lb ------------ 50 lb ------------- 28 lb
24 lb ------------ 60 lb ------------- 34 lb
28 lb ------------ 70 lb ------------- 38 lb
32 lb ------------ 80 lb ------------- 44 lb
40 lb ------------ 100 lb ------------- 56 lb
43 lb ------------ 110 lb ------------- 62 lb
47 lb ------------ 120 lb ------------- 65 lb

Equivalent weights are simply the weights in this chart. By using equivalent weights, we can compare various paper types although their actual basis weights may differ.

The basis weight of a paper is actually the weight of 500 sheets, which is measured in pounds of a paper's parent sheet size. The same parent size sheet is not used for all papers.

Bond Paper is defined in dictionary as:
1. Paper with rag content that was originally used for bonds and bank notes.
2. A top quality grade of paper that can be utilized for documentation, letterheads, etc.

The term bond paper has become the generic term for high-quality paper in cut sheet sizes, such as 11"x17" or letter-size, sold in reams of 500 sheets each. Typically, designer paper is found in 25 or 100 sheet packages.

Designer stationery refers to paper with designs already printed. From your home or office, you can design your own message and then print from your printer or copier. Designer stationery can be used with a majority of laser, plain paper, and inkjet copiers on the market.

What is commonly referred to as cardstock is actually 65# cover weight paper. This is typically sold at the retail level in cut sheet reams or as business or post cards. The type of paper used for printing invitations at home is 65# cover.

I hope I've presented all of this in a much more understandable way by taking a lot of the technical terminology out of the discussion. This should all make much better sense to you the next time you go shopping if you simply keep in mine the paper weight equivalents.