Paper is a fairly important element in the printing process. Heck, without paper all we would have is the internet, I guess. And although the internet has its place in the world, nothing can replace the freedom of having a good book or newspaper in your hands when you are trying to relax, away from the office, or quietly at the kitchen table on a Sunday morning.

     So this issue of the e-letter is all about paper. Some of this stuff will be familiar to you, and some will appear to be like a foreign language. I will try to explain it as simply as possible for you. If you have any questions, or comments, feel free to e-mail me, and I will respond within a day.

     Let's assume that everyone knows basically what paper is. Most of us know that paper comes from trees, and gets delivered in the morning, and that's enough to know. What else would you want to know? Well, when ordering a printing project, the type of paper is very important. The printer must know the paper's ultimate use. Do you want the paper to be glossy, cheap, recycled, white, coloured, thick, thin, heavy, light, etc?

     Let's start with some definitions of terms that a printer might ask you about when ordering a printing job.

Paper Characteristics (table1)

Brightness	Brightness is the paper's ability to reflect a volume of light.
Whiteness	Whiteness is the paper's ability to reflect all colours of light equally.
Opacity	The ability of not showing a printed image through to the other side of the sheet.
Holdout	The ability to uniformly hold ink on the paper's surface. Higher holdout means a sharper dot and increased ink gloss.
Smoothness	The even and consistent continuity of the paper's surface.
Finish	A glossy finish offers the best finish for reproduction detail, while a dull or matte finish is easier to read for large amounts of text.

     All papers possess the above characteristics. Each type of paper is suited for a particular type of printed application.

For instance: a telephone directory is suited to a cheap, non glare type of paper (most often recycled newsprint). A phone book would be very hard to read if it was printed on a stark white, and glossy paper stock. It would be too thick to be practical if it was printed on a business card type paper stock. It wouldn't be of much use if it was printed on a see through type vellum paper.

     Paper is graded for brightness in all finishes. If you ask for a Number 1 quality paper, it is brighter, and more expensive than a Number 5 grade of paper.

Paper (table 2)

Number 1 Quality	85 to 88 Brightness
Number 2 Quality	83 to 88 Brightness
Number 3 Quality	79 to 83 Brightness
Number 4 Quality	73 to 79 Brightness
Number 5 Quality	73 and below Brightness

     The various kinds of papers are available in an assortment of colours and weights. Some of the standard types of papers are:

• Book Paper
• Bond and Ledger Paper
• Cover Paper
• Printing Bristol
• Index Paper
• Tag Paper

     Each of these types of papers are available in different weights. Most people know that the standard North American copy paper is an 8 1/2" x 11", 20# bond paper. This standard paper is also available as a 16# and a 24# weight. A 20# Bond weight paper is equal to a 50# Book paper. Paper is ordered from the supplier or manufacturer based on it's basis weight. To really understand basis weights I recommend that you go to a printer and ask to see different paper sample cabinets to feel for yourself the different weights available.

I hope you find these e-letters useful. As always, your comments are welcome!