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DocuColor 40 MATERIALS USAGE GUIDE
41
Paper Weight
g/m
2
Paper weight is generally expressed as grams per square meter
(g/m
2
), a measure that makes it easy to compare any two pieces of
paper, even if the papers are of different types.
Basis weight
Paper weight is also expressed in terms of
basis weight
, which is the
weight of 500 sheets of paper of a particular size. Because each
type of paper (xerographic/bond, offset, cover, index, etc.) is
expressed in terms of a different basis size, a 20 lb xerographic/
bond paper and a 20 lb offset paper are not the same weight in
g/m
2
.
M value
The weight of some materials is described by the M value printed on
the package (i.e. 21.64M). The M value is the weight in pounds of
1,000 sheets of the size of the paper in the package. To convert the
M value to g/m
2
for 8.5 x 11” paper, multiply the M value by 7.527.
To convert the M value to g/m
2
for 11 x 17” paper, multiply the M
value by 3.763.
Pt. value
Pt (point) value refers to the sheet thickness in mils (thousandths of
an inch). For example, 10 pt. = 0.010”, or 7 pt. = 0.007” thick paper.
You cannot directly convert point value to paper weight or stiffness.
Summary of Contents for DocuColor 40
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