Ed #12 Standards

Sometimes, you also need to consider the thickness of the paper—its caliper. A paper’s caliper is usually expressed in points, with each point (pt.) equaling .001”, so an 8 pt. stock, for example, would be .008” thick.

Caliper is an important measurement when you are working with card stocks to produce business cards or direct mail materials. The higher the number of points, the thicker—and stiffer—the card will be.

Another related measurement is bulk, which is important in book publishing because the bulk of the paper determines the thickness of the book. Bulk is expressed as pages per inch (ppi).

While it may seem logical to think that a paper with a heavier basis weight will also have a larger caliper and bulk, that is not always the case. A paper’s finish also affects both measurements. Coated papers will have a lower caliper and bulk than an uncoated paper of the same basis weight. Cover stocks are usually twice the thickness of text papers with the same basis weight