Jan Saxton wrote: >>Does this mean that if I buy 8.5"x11" and 8.5"x14" paper of the >same quality >>it'll have different weight labelling? 20 lb paper in letter >size (quarto) >>would be equivalent to about 25.5 lb in legal size (foolscap). >> >>Surely that can't be right?! >>
Joe Reid replied: >I agree with Jan that it is not logical, but as I understand it, that >is the way it is. That is not the way it is (different weight labeling), as I have pointed out in my reply to Jan and as David Shatto has now pointed out in his excellent reply regarding "Basis Weight." The Basis Weight system is antiquated and clumsy. However, it is logical and consistent, as the weight value shown is independent of the size of paper one buys. As for g/m^2, all the paper I buy shows that as well. I haven't looked at the cheaper grades (but will do so next time I'm in Office Max), so I don't know if they show the metric value parenthetically. For me, none of this stuff is hypothetical or speculative. I buy 90 g/m^2 (24 lb) paper by the ream all the time and have done so for years. For a newsletter I edit and publish, I use ledger size (11"x 17" [also marked as 279 mm x 432 mm]), printed book-fold style. Incidentally, if the paper I'm looking for in Office Max isn't on the shelf, I ask for it as 90 g/m^2. I have yet to encounter an Office Max employee who doesn't understand the request. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
