Paper and board

• 3 main paper and board materials


  • paper - thin with a weight up to 200GSM
  • card - heavier with a weight over 200GSM
  • board - thicker than card with weight 500+GSM
• GSM = Grams per Square Metre
• paper, card and board is made from wood pulp which is extracted from the fibres found in wood
• stock forms of paper and common uses

  • A0 - architectural drawings
  • A1 - artwork and posters
  • A2 - smaller artwork
  • A3 - DT portfolios
  • A4 - business stationary
  • A5 - leaflets or flyers
  • A6 - international postcard size
  • A7 - labels
  • A8 - business cars
• all paper product are made from the same material meaning the only thing that makes them different is their optical properties. cellulose (jelly-like substance) has translucent properties which, when compressed lightly, makes paper which can allow light to pass through it
• optical properties


  • opacity - how much you can see through the paper
  • glossy - how glossy or reflective the paper is
  • strength and durability - how strong the paper is
  • tensile strength - how strong the paper is when stretched
  • porosity - how much the paper will absorb moisture
• paper properties and applications


  • tracing paper - translucent - copying images
  • layout paper - translucent - sketching
  • bleed proof paper - bleed proof layer - marker rendering
  • printer paper - smooth, slightly translucent - printing
  • treated paper - clear binder - photographic printing
  • watercolour printing - resistance to wrinkling when wet - painting
• card properties and application

  • corrugated card - strong due to thickness - decorative crafting
  • bleached card - bright surface - greeting cards
  • duplex card - two layers - food packaging
  • foil backed card - metallic surface - take away box lids
  • laminated card - polymer film on one side - milk cartons
  • metal effect card - high quality - gift boxes
  • lenticular card - holographic effect - gift packaging
• board properties and applications


  • mounting board - thick, lightweight - signs
  • foam board - thin card with foam core - architectural models
  • cardboard - used when thickness is needed - board games
  • corrugated cardboard - layers of board - food packaging
  • correx board - lightweight, smooth surface - signage
• paper and boards can be recycled from waste paper products 5-7 times until the paper becomes unusable. the paper is made into a wood pulp to be made into new paper. the wood pulp is a grey brown colour so it is bleached to get the white colour