I often get asked how do you measure the thickness of paper or card and the answer is simple – in microns using a micrometer. A micrometer is a tool for measuring very fine thicknesses.
- You get 1000 microns in every millimeter, which gives you one million microns per meter!
It is often thought that paper is measured in grams but that is a measure of weight not thickness. However, grams are used by manufactures and professional paper buyers because the weight of the paper is a very good indication of its cost. That is because the heavier it is the more material has gone into making it, so the more expensive it is.
The down side for the end user of paper is that grams are a very crude measure of thickness. This is because different types on paper have different densities. For example, if you were to pick up a sheet of uncoated 100gsm copier paper you would find that it is fairly thick sheet of paper. However, if you were to pick up a sheet of the much denser coated 100gsm gloss art paper you would find it a very thin sheet. Indeed, is it much thinner than the uncoated 100gsm copier paper. To get the same thickness you would have to use a 170gsm gloss art paper!
Another way to look at it is to compere how much room a tonne of lead takes up compared tonne a ton of feathers. Both weigh the same but there is a big difference in the space they take.
So that is a nut shell is how you measure the thickness of paper and card.
If you have any questions about paper, printing, graphic design or website design please feel free to call our studio today on 01646 682676. Alternatively you can send a message by following this link.
