Andy Pastuszak
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Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,576 
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Jun 25, 2024 15:51:31 GMT
Question for all the people not in the US or Canada that use a sane measuring system…
In the US we measure paper weight using all sorts of goofy designations based on types of paper. But common paper weights (thicknesses) are 20 lb, 25 lb., 28 lb., 32 lb., 65. lb, 70 lb., 110 lb.
Of course the weight varies on whether you're talking about plain paper, "text," cover stock, cardstock, etc.
For example 65lb coverstock is the same is 28 lb plain paper.
Now, the metric paper scale uses gsm, which is a much saner system.
But I am curious if paper weight/thickness is the same in metric countries as it is in the US. Does Europe use 65 lb. paper, but just gives me the value in gsm? Or are there specific gsm values I need to look for?
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Post by clivel on Jun 25, 2024 17:07:53 GMT
The only paperweight that one can rely on, whether in the US/Canada, or the rest of the world which is mostly metric, is the gsm (grams per square metre) value. Which is consistent irrespective of the type of paper.
Fortunately, for those of us in North America, most if not all paper manufacturers also print the gsm weight on the package alongside the anachronistic lbs. So, if you purchase a pack of 65lb paper in the US, if it is labelled 175gsm, then by purchasing 175gsm paper from Europe or anywhere else, you should expect to get paper of the same weight/thickness. Clive
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Andy Pastuszak
Member
Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,576
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Jun 25, 2024 17:16:52 GMT
In your example, 65 lb US is 175gsm. But is 175 gsm a standard paper weight in metric countries, or is paper more likely to be 170 or 180? Are standard weights the same globally with just a difference in the measuring units used (lb vs gsm), or do metric countries use similar, but not qu9ite the same paper weight?
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paul1
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Posts: 1,207
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Post by paul1 on Jun 25, 2024 17:23:51 GMT
I understand that in the U.S., paper weight descriptions can vary depending on the type of paper - obviously confusing. This comes courtesy of Wiki ............
STANDARD BASIS WEIGHT (lbs) GRAMS/SQUARE METER (gsm)
1) 20lb Bond/ 50lb Offset - 75 gsm
2) 24lb Bond/ 60lb Offset - 90 gsm
3) 28lb Bond/ 70lb Offset - 105 gsm
4) 32lb Bond/ 80lb Offset - 120 gsm
5) 50lb Book/Text/Offset - 75 gsm
6) 60lb Book/Text/Offset - 90 gsm
7) 70lb Book/Text/Offset - 105 gsm
8) 80lb Book/Text/Offset - 120 gsm
9) 100lb Book/Text/Offset - 150 gsm
10) 65lb Cover 175 gsm
11) 80lb Cover - 215 gsm
12) 100lb Cover - 270 gsm
13) 130 lb Cover - 350 gsm
LBS to GSM Formula:
1lb. of Text paper = 1.48 gsm. Multiply each pound of text paper by 1.48.
1 lb. of Cover paper = 2.708 gsm. Multiply each pound of cover paper by 2.708.
Example:
80lb. text = 118.4 gsm
80lb. cover = 216.64 gsm
Standard book paper is about 120 gms
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Andy Pastuszak
Member
Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,576
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Jun 25, 2024 17:30:04 GMT
Yep, I get the conversion. But I'm not looking to convert US paper weights to metric. I'm looking to know what standard metric paper weights are.
I'm on Amazon.co.uk and they don't have 175 gsm or 150 gsm paper. It looks like the standard weight in that range is 160 gsm and regular printer paper is 80 gsm.
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vikingeck
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Posts: 3,472
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 25, 2024 18:34:09 GMT
80gsm is regular copy paper here in Uk and Europe. And I believe standard throughout.
My stamp pages are 160gsm light card which my Epson printer can handle easily . I buy from a local wholesale outlet who will happily Guillotine a ream of A2 into approximately A3 or A4 as required.
Unfortunately over the past decade 4 local paper mills have closed and his supply sources have almost vanished .
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paul1
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Posts: 1,207
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Post by paul1 on Jun 25, 2024 20:27:11 GMT
presumably, Andy Pastuszak, your requirement is for paper that will be used for stamp pages - in which case I'd suggest that copy paper will be too thin/lightweight. As a minimum, 120 gms/M2 might be more appropriate, but vikingeck's suggestion is probably more suitable if you want something akin to thin card. Sometimes paper is offered in microns (thickness) as opposed to gms which is weight - one micron being one thousandth of a millimetre. 160 gms equals 180 microns more or less.
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Hugh
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What I collect: Occupation Stamps and Postal History, Worldwide; Canada, the UK, France and Germany.
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Post by Hugh on Jun 26, 2024 0:07:09 GMT
Andy, I don't know about Staples in the US, but in Canada, Staples and most other similar companies label reams of paper both in Imperial and Metric measurements.
For album pages, I buy cream coloured 147g/m2 paper from my local Staples store (see below). I've found that it suits my needs ... good colour, works well with my HP printer and not (too) expensive. Best of all it's avaiable.
When I tried to find the perfect paper years ago, the big problem (as others have said) is availability of a dependible supply. That's also why I also use 8.5x11 paper and three ring Lighthouse binders. They are easy to come by in Canada. I'd prefer metric sizes and four ring binders ... but they are virtually imposible to get. Geo-politics is a thing ... so, it seems, is Geo-supplies.
Lettermark
Vellum Bristol 94345 Cream
67lb
147g/m2
8.5x11
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jun 26, 2024 11:11:25 GMT
I use 104 gsm (32 lb) for a balance between stiffness and thickness. I have a lot of printed Steiner pages and if I used 67 lb cover, I would need a lot more binders.
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