[SK] What does the weight of office paper tell you and why should you monitor it?

Do you need to choose the right office paper to print a specific document in a way that is economical and achieves the desired result? Then focus on the appropriate paper weight. What does this parameter include and how to navigate this area?

What is basis weight?

The basis weight (grammage) is one of the most important parameters describing the characteristics of a given paper. It is defined as the weight of the paper per unit area in grams per square metre (g/m2). According to the international standard ISO 216, a sheet of A0 size paper occupies an area of one square metre and a sheet of the same size with a grammage of 80 gsm weighs 80 grams, which can be easily calculated.

Why is it important to keep track of the weight of office paper?

For each industry/activity/product, different strength, stiffness and quality of paper is required. Different is needed for printing common documents, different for advertising printed materials.

If you choose the wrong weight, the resulting print may be of poor quality and the mechanics of the printing equipment may be damaged. Paper weight, brightness, texture and transparency all have a significant impact on the life of printers.

When choosing the right office paper it is important to focus on the actual purpose of its use and only then select the paper accordingly:

• black and white printing
• invoices
• presentations
• catalogues
• invitations

What to look for when choosing printer paper

Always choose the optimum paper thickness. It is not always necessary to buy high quality and expensive paper, especially if you are printing traditional office documents.

For printing certain types of material, you should choose a heavyweight paper with a grammage of more than 250 gsm. These include business cards, name badges, vouchers, invitations and announcements. Hard paper is also more durable.

A4 office paper

A4 office paper is most commonly used in the office, but also at home for general printing. It is sold in white, in packs of 500 sheets and has a grammage of 80 g/m2. It is suitable for standard printing of documents such as

• CVs
• contracts
• invoices, purchase orders, delivery notes and other working documents

For colour printing, a higher weight above 90 g/m2 is used and for premium printing a weight above 120 g/m2 is used.

Envelopes and boxes

For envelopes and boxes it is better to choose a higher weight (or grammage). In general, the higher the grammage, the thicker and better quality paper is used for envelopes and boxes.

Choosing the right envelope is just as important as choosing the paper. Most envelopes are produced in 80 gsm, but if you need thicker and more durable envelopes, choose a higher weight.

Cardboard boxes stand out above all for their strength. Again, the grammage can vary, but it is usually 550 g/m2.

If you are not sure what paper and box parameters to choose, please contact us and we will be happy to advise you. This will save you costs, the environment and maximise the life of your copier.