Paper Weights & Stock Cross Reference

If you're like most people, paper weight is whatever the side of the box your paper came in says. But that's only the measurement as expressed by bond. There are seven different methods of measuring paper producing wildly varying figures. Most manufacturers like to advertise their capacities in cover lbs which results in inflated numbers. For example, a product could be advertised as having a capacity of 80 lb. offset stock, but realistically it will only tolerate 31 lb bond paper!

This matrix will give you a good reference for decoding the manufacturer's specifications. But above all else, I would encourage you to contact a Whitaker Brothers sales representative and let them advise you on a good paper folder. In this day and age, it's easy to spend 30 minutes googling something and think you've made the right decision. I've stopped several people from making very expensive mistakes in the past. There is no replacement for the advice of someone who has used just about every paper folder on the market in just about every circumstance you could imagine. 

Weight and thickness equivalents for paper stocks