Text weight, cover
weight, and gsm.
Paper weight is measured differently depending on the paper’s own category. Enter a weight in one system and see it converted to the others.
A reference tool, not a quote. Sizes and rules of thumb here are general prepress and USPS conventions — confirm specifics for your job by calling (763) 475-1826 or requesting a quote.
Conversions use a standard published basis-weight ratio for each category and are approximate — actual sheet weight can vary by mill and finish.
Not sure which weight a job actually needs? Describe the piece and ask.
Request a quote Call (763) 475-1826Why “80 lb” means two different things
Basis weight is the weight of a ream — 500 sheets — of a paper's uncut parent sheet, and different categories of paper use a different parent sheet size to define that ream. Text and cover stocks each have their own basis size, so 80 lb text and 80 lb cover are two different physical thicknesses that happen to share a number. Bond paper uses a third basis size again, which is why 20 lb bond, the ordinary weight of copier paper, is a much lighter sheet than either.
Grams per square meter is the one that doesn't move
Metric weight, gsm, measures the actual mass of one square meter of the sheet, regardless of category. It is the only number here that is not tied to a basis size, which is why it is the easiest way to compare a text stock against a cover stock directly — and why this calculator uses it as the conversion in between.
These figures come from a standard basis-weight conversion table, not from a particular mill's spec sheet, so treat the result as a close approximation rather than an exact match to what a specific paper line calls itself.
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