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Home > Frequently Asked Questions |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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Many consumers use our website to ask questions about paper. Below is our response to several of these frequently asked questions.
Do you have bond paper?
The term “bond” originally referred to paper that was used for certificates, bonds or legal documents. Today the term is used to describe a hard sized paper. In the printing industry there are papers still sold as 16, 20 and 24 lb. For artist applications we have 400 Series Layout Bond. This paper grade was originally designed for commercial artists to present visual concepts using colored pencil or marker. With most designers and commercial artists now using a computer as their primary design tool, this paper has been discovered by many fine artists who like the durable surface and clean white background over many alternative sketch and drawing papers they have used.
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400 Series Layout Bond |
500 Series Drawing |
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Is rag paper different than cotton paper?
“Rag” and “cotton” have become somewhat generic terms that are often used interchangeably, but there are differences between true rag and cotton papers. At one time all “rag” paper was made from cotton rags. Rags were in fact clippings or waste from textile mills that produced cotton bedding, shirts etc. Rag fibers produce paper with remarkable strength, longevity and maintain stable optical properties, such as brightness.
Today many papers are made with cotton linters. Cotton linters are the by-product of cotton processing. These fibers are shorter and less strong than rag but maintain the optical characteristics and longevity of cotton rag. Our 500 Series Drawing, Bristol and Illustration Board Surfaces are manufactured using a combination of rag and linters. The ratio of approximately 3 parts rag to 1 part linters has been found to be the ideal make–up for the number of working properties required of these high end papers. This is the same fiber make–up that has been used since these grades were first manufactured in 1893.
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My dad talks about Onion Skin Paper, what is it?
Your dad is dating himself a bit. Onion Skin is a very light weight translucent bond paper. It was mainly used to produce duplicate type writer copies. It was also used in the interleaving of “order books”. The paper was named Onion Skin because it resembled the dry outer skin of an onion.
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I’m confused about the term vellum as it relates to paper. Can you explain what it means?
There is always confusion with the term vellum. Vellum is not one but two distinct paper terms: vellum as a Paper and vellum as a Finish.
Traditional vellum like parchment was an early writing surface. Traditional vellum was made from the skin of calves, goats and lambs. The vellum was prepared by a lengthy exposure to a lime bath and then the skins were scraped down with a rounded knife and rubbed smooth with a pumice stone. Vellum was known as a better quality of parchment with grain and hair marks producing a somewhat irregular surface.
Over time vellum was used to describe a high rag paper, usually with a creamy white color and smooth surface that imitated traditional vellum. It was used for the printing of diplomas and certificates. Today the term vellum is often used with a very clear translucent paper with a smooth surface.
Vellum finish is used to describe a somewhat toothy finish on drawing paper or bristol. Over time several like terms have been used to describe this toothy finish: vellum, medium, regular and kid.
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