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Converting paper
weight from pounds
to gsm
Most countries, outside of the United States, use the metric system and express the weight of
paper in grams per square meter (gsm).
The Xerox Nuvera uses gsm paper weights exclusively. Many paper manufacturers in the United
States, including Xerox, print paper weight on the paper packaging in both pounds and gsm.
You will need to convert pounds to gsm only if the gsm weight has not been specified.
Understanding basic size and basis
weight
Basic size, in the United States, is the sheet size of a particular type of paper that is recognized
by buyers and sellers as the standard size. Different types of paper have different basic sizes.
When basic sizes were established, each paper's basic size was believed to be its best size for
printing, folding, and trimming.
The weight of paper is called its basis weight. In the United States, basis weight is expressed as
the number of pounds of one ream of paper (usually 500 sheets) cut to its basic size.
Note
The industry standard for basis weight allows a plus or minus 5% variation. Therefore, a
ream of 20 pound (75 gsm) bond paper can have an actual weight from 19 to 21 pounds
(71.43 to 78.95 gsm).
Basic size is used to determine basis weight as illustrated in the following examples:
•
One ream (500 sheets) of 80 pound cover, cut to its basic size (20x26 inch) = 80 pounds
•
One ream (500 sheets) of 60 pound offset, cut to its basic size (25x38 inch) = 60 pounds
Paper Guide
A
A-1
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