How to Convert Paper Weight to PT
The grading of paper is confusing to many. If you go to a stationary shop and look at the different types of paper you will find card stock, bond paper, cover stock and vellum. Each type characterized by its weight and its thickness. The paper weight of any particular type of paper in the US measures the weight of 500 sheets of a standard size sheet of that type of paper, stated in pounds. The paper also bears a point (PT) value describing the thickness of the particular paper. There is a simple way to convert from paper weight to PT.
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Instructions
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Select a type of paper to investigate. Determine the paper weight for the sample. This number is usually available from the seller.
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Calculate the paper weight given in pounds to the paper weight given in grams per square meter. The conversion factor for this calculation will be different based on the type of paper you are determining.
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Convert the measurements of the standard sheet to units of feet. Find the area of the standard sheet in square feet. Multiply the number of square feet by 0.093 to convert to square meters.
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Convert the paper weight in pounds to grams. Multiply the paper weight by 0.454 to yield kilograms and then multiply by 1,000 to find the number of grams in a 500 sheet ream of paper. To find the number of grams per sheet divide total number of grams calculated by 500 to get the final answer of grams per sheet.
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Find the grams per square meter (gsm) value by dividing the weight of one sheet in grams by the area of one sheet in square meters.
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Convert the gsm to PT by using the conversion factor of 12 PT equals 270 gsm. Divide the gsm you calculated by 270 and then multiply the result by 12 to find the PT value of the paper.
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Tips & Warnings
Be careful of your units in the conversion. There are many places you can make an error.
References
- Photo Credit The paper image by Alexander Ivanov from Fotolia.com
