Acid Free

Papers which have a pH value above seven. These do not contain acid which causes premature ageing .

Airknife Coating

A pigment coating method used for top quality coated papers. The coating is applied to the bed of paper by a roller and the surplus coating is metered off and smoothed by an air doctor. Often referred to as "triple coated".

Airmail Paper

Paper with a basis weight of about 30gsm. It is used for airmail communications.

Alkaline

Papers which have a pH value above seven, may be referred to as acid-free. These do not contain acid which causes premature aging.

Antique

Antique finish paper has a toothy, open texture created by felts or dandy rolls that leave a hand-crafted look.

Art Paper

Quality mineral coated paper with full fibre coverage, has good smoothness, high brightness and opacity with even ink absorption.

Bank Paper

Papers used for stationery forms and other documents with a basis weight of more than 45gsm and less than 60gsm.

Bible Paper

A thin low-grammage paper, with a basis weight of about 40gsm. It has good opacity and is used for bibles, hymn books or other books of high pagination.

Board

A general term for paper with a basis weight of more than 200gsm.

Bond

Uncoated paper used for stationery, forms etc., having a base weight of above 50gsm.

Bulk

Bulk is the thickness of paper relative to its basis weight.

Calendering

The process of smoothing the paper by pa?sing through a series of roll nips.

Caliper

The caliper is the thickness of a single sheet of paper, expressed in thousandths of a millimeter <microns).

Carbonless

Bond paper chemically treated to release minuscule ink capsules when pressure is applied <with a pen or typewriter etc.l. It is used where multiple copies are required e.g. invoice books, application forms.

Cartridge

Uncoated paper with a base weight of more than 80gsm and less than 135gsm.

Cast Coated

Top quality paper and board with excellent smoothness and the highest paper gloss. It is made by pressing the paper against a hot metal drum while the coating is still wet.

Chain Marks

Distribution of the paper fibres to form a pattern similar to a chain or rope, which run parallel to the paper machine.

Chemical Pulping

The process of reduing a vegetable source of fibre to its component parts <fibres) during a cooking phase with various chemical liquors, such as sulphate, sulphite, etc.

Chrome Paper & Board

Usually one side coated, having a heavy coating weight and containing the best types of mineral pigments.

Coated Paper

Art paper coated with Kaolin !clayl on one or both sides. The coating adds smoothness and whiteness. It fills the valley and allows the ink to set on top, rather than be absorbed, which results in sharper, brighter images.

Dandy Roll

A wire mesh roll used to close the sheet on the papermaking machine when the paper is still in a wet state. The pattern of the wire mesh is left in the paper forming a watermark.

Deckle

The maximum width that paper or board can be made on a particular paper machine.

Deckle Edge

The feathered edges of a sheet of paper, made by hand or in a mould.

Duplex Board

Two sheets of stock either the same, or different, are laminated together to form a two-ply board.

ECF

Elemental Chlorine Free. This pulp is bleached without the use of chlorine gas. However, some chlorine dioxide is used, plus other non-chlorine based compounds such as oxygen.

Embossed

A plain paper containing a relief image which can be of different patterns. These embossings may resemble linen, slate, felt, tweed or other natural or manufactured materials.

Felt Marked

Felt marked papers have an elegant, toothy texture which is formed at the wet end of the paper machine by patterned wool or synthetic felts. These redistribute but do not crush fibres, so felt marked papers retain a uniform surface structure.

Fibres

The whole range of fibres used for making paper, consisting of coniferous softwood, deciduous hardwood and certain grasses and synthetic fibres in a few grades.

Filler

Mineral pigment such as china clay which is added to the fibre content of paper to improve print quality by making the paper smoother with improved opacity and brightness, and also giving it a greater affinity with printing inks.

Finish

The surface characteristics of a sheet of paper.

FSC

Forest Stewardship Council certified, indicates that forests are well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

Gloss

Gloss is the surface reflectance value at a given angle.

Grain Direction

Predominant direction in which the paper fibres become aligned during manufacturing.

Grammage

The basis weight of the paper expressed in grams per square meter (gsm).

Groundwood Paper

Paper made from pulp created when wood is ground mechanically, rather than refined chemically.

Index Board

A single or twin wire pulp board in white or colours that are smooth with good formation and have been hard sized for writing as they are used for filing systems.

Ivory Boards

Were once ivory coloured, but now often white with a smooth finish and even formation, used for invitations, greetings and visiting cards.

Kraft Paper

Strong paper used for wrapping and envelopes.

L.W.C.

Light Weight Coated grades have a low basis weight and are used for printing magazines and brochures.

Laid Paper

Laid finish papers feature a subtle linear pattern called "laid lines" which are created by a dandy roll with wire running parallel to its axis. These wires are attached by chain wires which often leaven "chain lines" at right angles to the laid lines.

Laser Bond

Bond paper made especially smooth and dry to run well through laser printers.

Lignin

Substance in trees that holds the cellulose fibres together.

Linen Paper

Paper that has been embossed with a pattern resembling linen.

Long Grain

Paper whose fibres run parallel to the long dimension of the sheet.

Machine Coated

Paper or board which is pigment coated as a continuous operation at the end of the paper making machine. Usually low quality grades with light coating weight.

Marble Paper

Inks are added to the paper during the paper making process to resemble marble.

Matt Finish

Paper that has not been calenderd

Mechanical Pulping

The process of reducing wood to its component parts, fibres and fibre bundles, by mechanical means - done either by grinding wood against an abrasive stone or as is the more recent development, refining wood chips in a specially designed refiner.

MF Machine Finish

Uncoated paper calendered on the end of the paper machine with a stack of metal rolls. Has good bulk but is not particularly smooth.

MG Machine Glazed

Paper that is dried on the papermaking machine with a single very large drying cylinder. The side of the paper in contact with the drying cylinder is given a high gloss finish, the reverse side remains rough.

Mottled Paper

Papers with variegated effects achieved by a mixture of dyed fibres or drip colour on the wet pulp.

Mould Made Paper

A good imitation of hand-made paper. It is made on a cylinder mould. Different sized sheets of paper can be produced with four deckle edges.

Neutral Sizing

One method used to reduce the rate at which water penetrates the sheet. It is non-acid and prolongs the life of paper and is used for acid free paper as opposed to the traditional rosin sizing which is acidic.

Newsprint

Paper made from ground wood pulp and recycled pulp. It is used for printing newspapers.

Off-Machine Coated

{Process Coated) Body paper which is coated as a separate operation from the actual papermaking of the body paper.

Offset Cartridge

Originally this was a strong paper with a fairly rough surface which printed well, it now means strong, surface sized uncoated paper reasonably even-sided supplied in a range of finishes.

Opacity

Opacity is determined by the amount of show-through. The less the show-through, the greater the opacity.

Optical Bleaching Agent

An almost colourless substance used in paper to improve brightness by converting ultra-violet light into visible light.

Parchment

Paper which has a variegated surface that simulates the colour and translucence of original parchments

Parchment Paper

Paper designed to last hundreds of years without deterioration

pH

A measure of the Hydrogenion cencentration of a solution. A pH of seven is neutral, below seven is acid and above seven is alkaline.

Picking

The rupture of the paper surface during printing

Porosity

The rate at which ink penetrates a substrate, directly affecting print density, print gloss and ink strike-through.

Printability

Printing performance of paper with respect to its appearance, including the ease with which the quality is obtained.

Quire

Twenty five sheets in fine paper and twenty four in wrapping

Rag Content

These are high quality papers made from stock containing at least 25% rag. Rag content contains cotton and/or linen fibres which makes the paper strong and durable.

Real Art

Top quality. coated paper with at least 30gsm coating per side. Many coating pigments are used, not only clay.

Ream

500 sheets of paper

Recycled Paper

New paper made entirely, or in part from waste paper.

S.A.L.P.

Self Adhesive Label Paper. Coated or non-coated paper with one side adhesive, used for labels.

Self Contained

Ink capsules and clay are mixed and applied to one surface of paper. This will yield an image when pressure is applied, writing or typing on a normal uncoated sheet placed on top of the S.C. sheet.

Short Grain

Indicates that the shortest direction of a sheet of paper or board is in the substrate's cross direction, and is expressly written, e.g. 900 x 640.

Show-Through

What is seen of the printed image on the reverse side of a sheet due to low opacity.

Sizing

Additional materials added to paper fibers in order that they resist the spontaneous penetration of aqueous liquids.

Smooth

Smooth finishes ranges from the perfectly smooth to the barely textured.

Special Matt

A finish between gloss and matt. Not as flat as a traditional matt.

Speckled

Grains are added to the sheet to create a speckled look. May also be a result of ink in recycled papers.

Supercalendered

(SC) Paper calendered using alternative chrome and fibre roller to produce an ultra smooth sheet.

TCF

Totally Chlorine Free. This pulp is bleached without the use of chlorine chemicals.

Triplex Board

Board consisting of three layers run together on the board machine.

Uncoated Paper

Paper that has not been coated with clay, calcium carbonate etc.

Vellum

A vellum finish is imparted by special felts, giving it a "tooth" similar to but smoother than an antique finish.

Velvet

Ultra smooth matt finish.

Watermarks

Watermarks are imprinted by dandy rolls into the paper. A design or word is impressed into the paper as it passes through the wet end of the paper machine. This can only be seen when the sheet is held up to the light.

Woodfree

Paper that is primarily made from chemical wood pulp, with no more than 10 % mechanical wood pulp, which is used for the best grades of paper.

Wove

May also be referred to as smooth. The wove surface is imparted by ordinary "wet felts". These leave no distinguishing visual feature.