Paper Weights

[exxxlonghair]

Since I moved to Providence I've just been ordering French paper since I haven't found a good local supplier. Today I had to go to the local paperworks and get 100 sheets for a rush job. I ended up getting Neenah Solar White 110 lb cover, 26 x 40.

Comparing French Smart white 110 lb cover to Neenah Solar White 110 lb cover, the Neenah seems quite a bit thicker.

I guess I always assumed that 110 lb cover stock would be the same relative thickness regardless of manufacturer. I understand how paper weights are calculated - I guess I just don't get how the thickness come into play. Can someone school me on this?

[squeegeethree]

Paper density - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[exxxlonghair]

Paper density - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am assuming that you are referring to this part of the wikipedia entry.

"Paper thickness, or caliper, is a common measurement specified and required for certain printing applications. Since a paper's density is typically not directly known or specified, the thickness of any sheet of paper cannot be calculated by any method. Instead, it is measured and specified separately as its caliper. However, paper thickness for most typical business papers might be similar across comparable brands. If thickness is not specified for a paper in question, it must be either measured or guessed based on a comparable paper's specification.
Caliper is usually measured in micrometres, in the United States also in mils. (1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 µm"

So if I understand, there is no way to compare the relative thickness of the same weight paper (eg. 110 lb cover) from different manufactures unless the "caliper" of each is known?

[squeegeethree]

What I was trying to point out is that paper when measured as lb or gsm has to do with weight but we always pretend it has to do with thickness because their is a rough correlation.