4-Paper and boards

• Types of paper and boards

  • Layout paper
  • Cartridge paper
  • Tracing paper
  • Bleed-proof paper
  • Treated paper
  • Watercolour paper
  • Corrugated card
  • Bleached card
  • Mount board
  • Duplex card
  • Foil-backed and laminated card
  • Metal effect card
  • Moulded paper pulp
• Stock forms


  Standard sizes of paper stock forms are from A0 (largest size) to A8 (smallest: each 'A' size is half the size of the one previous, for example A4 is half the size of A3)
• Commercial printers may work with

  Paper - untrimmed sizes' (raw format A-RA and supplementary raw format A-SRA), which are slightly larger than the standard A sizes and allow for any colour bleeding from printing
• Papers are trimmed to size after they have been printed
• Paper thickness


  Measured in grams per square metre (gsm); the lower the gsm, the more lightweight the paper, making it easier to bend, cut and score
• Papers and boards


  • They are compliant materials, meaning they can be scored, folded and cut with basic tooling to form items such as nets for packaging
• Original source of paper

  Wood pulp (grey in colour)
• During manufacture, bleaches are added to make paper whiter
• The natural source makes paper and boards suitable for recycling, or if left in landfill they will naturally biodegrade
• Different types of paper and boards, their properties/performance characteristics and applications


  • Layout paper: Thin translucent paper with a smooth surface, used for sketching, quick ink, technical drawing, tracing
  • Cartridge paper: Off-white paper, usually with a slightly textured surface, used for sketching, rendering in pencil, ink and pastel
  • Tracing paper: Translucent paper, slightly thicker than layout paper, used for copying images when sketching
  • Bleed-proof paper: Similar to cartridge paper but it is bleed-proof so colours do not run, used for spirit-based marker rendering
  • Treated paper: Plain paper with a clear binder or dye layer applied to help hold the image on the paper surface, used for photographic printing
  • Watercolour paper: Available in absorbent, smooth, hot-pressed or the more textured cold-pressed and heavily textured rough, used for watercolour painting
  • Corrugated card: Usually with carton board outer layers and a corrugated middle layer, giving the material the ability to provide protection against impact, used for protective packaging, made making, prototyping ideas for packaging
  • Bleached card: Chemically treated to brighten the surface to make it suitable for high-quality printing, used for greeting cards, high-quality packaging
  • Mount board: Made from compressed fine cotton fibres to produce a rigid board, used for presenting artwork, picture mounting, modeling
  • Duplex card: Made up of two layers of paper, with the exterior often coated to make it more water-resistant and to give it a glossy sheen and waxy feel, used for food packaging such as juice or milk cartons, disposable cups and plates
  • Foil-backed and laminated card: Card with polymer film or foil applied to provide a water-resistant and/or heat-insulating layer, used for drinks packaging, milk cartons, take-away lids
  • Metal effect card: High-quality card with a thin metal effect layer applied to the outer surface for enhanced aesthetics, can be embossed, used for gift boxes and packaging, high-quality metal effect business cards
  • Moulded paper pulp: Recycled paper pulp moulded when wet and dried to a specific shape, usually smooth on the visible inside surface and rough textured on the outer surface, used for moulded packaging products, eco-friendly packaging, egg bases, fruit packaging
• Typical mistake: Don't refer to generic terms such as card, be specific - for example, corrugated card
• Paper stock forms


  Sizes from A0 (largest size) to A8 (smallest), each 'A' size is half the size of the previous one - for example, A6 is half the size of A3
• Grams per square metre (gsm)


  The measure of paper thickness - the lower the gsm, the more lightweight the paper
• Compliant material


  A material that can be scored, folded and cut with basic tooling to form items such as nets for packaging
• Wood pulp


  The original source of paper, grey in colour. The natural source makes paper easy to recycle or it will biodegrade
• Corrugated cards


  Usually with carton board outer layers and a corrugated middle layer, to provide impact protection, often used for protective packaging products such as delivery bases
• Foil-backed and laminated card


  Card with polymer film or foil applied to provide a water-resistant and/or heat insulating layer, often used for milk and juice cartons. The layer must be removed before recycling the paper pulp.
• Metal effect card


  High-quality card, often used for gift boxes, which has a thin metal-effect layer applied to the outer surface for enhanced aesthetics
• Watercolour paper: Available in absorbent, smooth, hot-pressed or the more textured cold-pressed and heavily textured rough, used for watercolour painting