You are going to see PT and LB around the site when referring to our various paper stocks. This is an extremely confusing way the print industry works but after learning about it, you’ll understand some of the phone calls taking place on an episode of The Office.
The same stock could be named by pound, point, or gsm. At Some Good Print, we like to stick to PT and LB. Below will also include information about GSM but you can skip that if you would like.
Paper Weights
How the paper industry defines their different styles is through this confusing system of weight and measurements. Easy thing to remember, the higher the number, the thicker the paper. To understand what determines a high number vs. a low number under the different categories, we have laid out the different options with explanations and examples to help you better understand.
LB.
As you roam the aisles of Staples or OfficeMax, you may wonder why certain reams are labeled 20 lb or 28 lb when they clearly don’t weigh that much. The reason is that the weight is taken from the uncut sheets. If 500 sheets of uncut paper weighs 20 pounds, it’s called 20 lb stock. Different types of paper have different standard uncut sizes, so a pound of one is not the same as a pound of the other.
Point (pt.)
Point refers to the thickness of the sheet in thousandths of an inch. This is the most common usage by us at Some Good Print. A 14 pt. business card is 0.014 inches thick.
This conversion makes it
-
14pt = 0.014”
-
16pt = 0.016”
-
24pt = 0.024”
-
35pt = 0.035”
-
38pt = 0.038”
Density (gsm)
Grams per square meter (gsm) is the universal metric measurement for paper density. This number can be converted to pounds or points.
-
35-55 gsm: Used for newspapers
-
90-100 gsm: Printer/copier paper
-
120-140 gsm: Flyers / Posters
-
210-300 gsm: Glossy and Durable Brochures
-
350-400 gsm: Packaging and Business Cards
PT to GSM Conversion Chart
-
14pt = 270 gsm
-
16pt = 350gsm
-
18pt = 400gsm
-
24pt = 460gsm
-
40pt = 600gsm
If you have any questions, please reach out and let us know!
