Papers comes in a wide variety of thicknesses and types. To be able to compare papers from one supplier to the next, the following guidelines and practices are followed by all paper manufacturers in the US.

Basis Weight
The basis weight of paper is the density of paper expressed in terms of the mass of a ream of given dimensions and a sheet count. In the US system, the weight is specified in pounds, and the sheet count of a paper ream is usually 500 sheets. However, the mass specified is not the mass of the retail ream of paper. Instead, it is the mass of the uncut "basis ream" in which the sheets have some larger size. Often, this is a size used during the manufacturing process before the paper was cut to the dimensions in which it is sold. So, to compute the mass per area, one must know:

•  The mass or weight of the basis ream
•  The number of sheets in that ream, and
•  The dimensions of an "uncut" sheet in that ream.

Paper Type
There are a variety of familiar paper types such as Bond, Text (or Book), Cover, Board, newsprint, etc. Each of these types of paper has a different basis ream or dimension.

​Examples:

80lb text paper is always lighter and thinner than 100 pound text paper, no matter what its cut size.
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100lb text paper is lighter and thinner than 100 pound cover paper. While both papers are referred to as 100lb, the uncut basis ream dimension is different. The basis dimension of text paper is 25” x 38”, where the basis dimension for cover paper is only 20” x 26”.  Therefore the Cover stock paper is more dense and thicker than the text weight paper.

Blank press sheets arrive from the mill either coated or uncoated prior to being printed on our presses. This coating is different than the various coatings that we apply after printing (UV, AQ, Satin, etc). Coated paper provides a surface for the ink to rest on which results in a more vibrant color. Uncoated paper allows the ink to absorb into the paper resulting in softer more muted colors. If you use Pantone® swatch books you will notice that they provide separate books for coated and uncoated paper to show how the same color will appear on the different types of paper.

•  Uncoated - uncoated both sides
•  C1S - Coated on one side, uncoated on the other
•  C2S - Coated 2 sides

Primoprint offers a variety of paper stock and thicknesses. Here is a list of our most popular stocks in order from thickest to thinnest:

32PT Uncoated Triple Layer Bond
18PT Board, C1S
16PT Board, C2S
14PT Board, C2S
14PT Uncoated Cover Stock (*Less rigid than 14PT Board)
100lb Gloss Cover
100lb Gloss Book (Text)
100lb Dull Book
80lb Gloss Book
70lb Premium Opaque Text
70lb Uncoated Linen Text
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Specialty Stocks
​18PT Uncoated Kraft
14PT Pearl Metallic Cover
14PT Natural (Neenah Royal Sundance Smooth Cover)
100lb Uncoated Linen Cover Stock (white)

If you are unsure of which paper to select for your project we would be happy to send you a sample packet free of charge or you can contact us via chat, phone or email for more information.