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Like the quality of your business services/products, the paper you choose says something about your business. But how do you know what the best paper to use is? To ease the headache, we've produced a guide below to perfect your paper game.
Paper Size
Paper sizes are graded from small (e.g. A8) to large (A0) in reverse order. This means A8 is smaller than A7 and so on. Paper sizes, like weights vary for each task at hand.
We've produced a handy paper size guide below:
| Size | Millimeters | Inches | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | 841 x 1189mm | 33.1 x 46.8inch | Technical drawings and posters |
| A1 | 594 x 841mm | 23.4 x 33.1 inch | Flipcharts |
| A2 | 420 x 594mm | 16.5 x 23.4 inch | Drawings or large tables |
| A3 | 297 x 420mm | 11.7 x 16.5 inch | Diagrams or large tables |
| A4 | 210 x 297mm | 8.3 x 11.7 inch | Letters, forms and documents |
| A5 | 148 x 210mm | 5.8 x 8.3 inch | Menu cards and brochures |
| A6 | 105 x 148mm | 4.1 x 5.8 inch | Postcards and flyers |
| A7 | 74 x 105mm | 2.9 x 4.1 inch | Promotional materials such as brochures |
| A8 | 52 x 74mm | 2.0 x 2.9 inch | Business cards |
How to choose paper weight?
When choosing paper for your office, consider what you're going to use it for and who is the end-user. Standard Paper is fine for internal use (80gsm), while heavier paper will add a quality feel to client proposals.
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Paper is measured in GSM (Grams per Square Meter). This means how many grams one sheet of paper weighs measuring 1m x 1m. So which is best for your task at hand? |
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| Paper Weight | Use |
| 80-100gsm | Standard office paper - ideal for low quality internal printing, photocopying and faxing. |
| 110-120gsm | Stationery paper for business documents such as letterheads, compliment slips or booklets. |
| 130-170gsm | Most durable paper often used for leaflets, flyers, posters and pages inside brochures. |
| 170-200gsm | Anything above 170gsm is generally classed as card. Great for brochure or magazine covers, high-end posters or impressive double-sided flyers. |
| 200-250gsm | This is going into the heavier card category and makes for a top-quality brochure cover or postcards. |
| 300-400gsm | Now in the board territory, this is the perfect business card weight and can also be used as a brochure cover. |
| 400gsm above | If you're going for gold with your business cards, this thickness provides a luxury finish and definitely gives a feeling of quality. |
Other things to consider
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Paper whiteness is normally measured in CIE. The higher the CIE number, the whiter the paper. Standard office paper normally has a CIE between 145 and 153, whereas business paper used for reports and presentations has a higher CIE range of 153 and 165. |
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The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit group committed to promoting the responsible management of our forests. They set standards that ensure forestry is conducted in a way that is environmentally sound, benefits the local community and is economically sustainable. |
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Improvements in technology mean that modern recycled paper is practically indistinguishable from standard paper. Collecting and converting recycled paper means it it more expensive, but the use of post-consumer paper means less waste is sent to landfill and the removal of chlorine products from the production process, makes it kinder to the environment. |
