Welcome to Riverside Graphics

• Working with Color
• Envelopes
• Paper Weights and Sizes
• Fonts
• Tips for Saving Graphic Files
• Sending in a Job (file formats, images, fonts)
• What should I look for when receiving a proof?
• When My Job is finished, how do I pay for it?

If you have any questions not answered here or something that needs clarification, please feel free to ask us. We can be reached by phone (312.372.3766), fax (312.372.7233), or email (orders@riversidegx.com).

Paper Weights & Sizes	GRADES OF PAPER
	There are five basic grades of paper: Bond Usually reserved for letterheads, business forms and quick printing jobs. Offset or uncoated book Probably the most common sheet for offset printing, offering a smooth, uncoated look. Coated book A glossy sheet that yields vivid colors and excellent reproduction. Text A high-quality sheet with a lot of texture. It gives soft, gentle colors and a look of class. Cover Used for book covers, postcards and business cards. It is available as a coated or uncoated sheet. Within each grade there are other distinctions - based on brightness, opacity and fiber content. For instance, there are matte, premium and ultra gloss finishes to coated paper. In uncoated book, there is #1 Offset, #3 Offset, Opaque and Lightweights. Text papers are distinguished by finishes like smooth/vellum, felt/embossed, laid and linen.
	BASIC WEIGHT
	Getting more specific, people identify papers in terms of their basic weights. Since coated papers are more compressed (calendered), you can't necessarily keep the same weight when switching grades. For instance, you may go from a 60# uncoated to a 70# coated sheet to keep the same thickness. That's why papers are usually referred to by weight and grade. What is basic weight, exactly? It is the weight of 500 sheets of paper cut to a standard size. So, 500 sheets of 25" x 38" 60# offset weighs 60 lbs. The standard size for bond is 17" x 22"; for text, offset and coated 25" x 38"; and for cover, 20" x 26". That's why two similar sheets of different grades may have very different basic weights; for instance, 24# bond and 50# offset.
	WEIGHTS OF DIFFERENT GRADES OF PAPER
	Different grades cover different ranges of weight: Bond Usually 16# for forms, 20# for copying and 24# for stationery. Text Ranges in weight from 60# to 100#, but the most common weights are 70# and 80#. Offset Usually a 50# to 70# stock. Coated book Generally goes from 30# to 70# for web, 50# to 110# for sheetfed. Cover Comes in 60#, 65#, 80# or 100# weights.

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