Have you ever wondered about the Basis Weight of paper and what it means? In this post, I’ll try and clear up some of the mystery of paper, how it’s measured, and other properties.

Basis Weight

Basis Weight is the designation given to a sheet of paper in terms of the weight of 500 sheets (a ream) in the standard size for that grade. For instance, the basis size for offset is 25″ x 38″, bond is 17″ x 22″, and bristol is 22.5″ x 28.5″. Don’t worry, there are a few more sizes to make things difficult. So, if you have some 80# bond, that means that 500 sheets measuring 17″ x 22″ weighs 80 lbs. Easy? Sure. Confusing? It can be.

Here are the 7 most common basic sizes:

Book
25″ x 38″

Bond & Writing
17″ x 22″

Cover
20″ x 26″

Postcard, Vellum & Bristol
22.5″ x 28.5″

Printing Bristol
23″ x 35″

Index
25.5″ x 30.5″

Tag, Newsprint & Waxing
24″ x 36″

I’ll have more articles on paper weights, lengths, thickness, etc. in the future, so stay tuned!