Selecting Papers and Boards for Properties and Uses

Match the material to the job

A sheet used to develop a drawing needs different properties from a box used to deliver a fragile product. Selecting paper or board means deciding which properties matter most for the intended use, then balancing benefits against limitations.

Functional properties determine how well the material does its job. These include stiffness, resistance to tearing or crushing, cushioning, printability and the ability to crease and fold. Aesthetic properties affect its appearance and feel: colour, texture, smoothness, opacity and surface finish. A retail carton needs to carry attractive graphics as well as hold its contents; a delivery box may prioritise protection over a refined finish.

Cost and availability also influence selection. Low-cost paper is useful for numerous early sketches, whereas a more substantial sheet may be justified for a final presentation. The best choice is not necessarily the strongest or most expensive material: it is the one that meets the requirements without unnecessary cost or bulk.

Read mass, thickness and surface properties correctly

Paper and board grades are often described using grams per square metre, or gsm. An 80 gsm sheet has a mass of 80 grams for each square metre of material. This does not mean that every sheet weighs 80 grams. Thickness can instead be measured in microns; one micron is 0.001 mm. Materials with different structures can have different thicknesses and stiffnesses even at a similar gsm.

A smooth surface supports clear printed detail, while a slightly textured surface gives pencil something to grip. Opacity matters when printing must not show through from the other side. For tracing and overlays, the opposite is useful: enough light must pass through to reveal the drawing underneath.

Layout paper and tracing paper: developing a design

Layout paper is thin, lightweight, white and semi-transparent. It is commonly around 50–60 gsm. Its low cost makes it suitable for initial product ideas and drawing layouts. Its smooth surface takes colour well, and its semi-transparency helps with overlay work.

The disadvantage is its weakness: it tears easily and is awkward to handle or store without damage. It is therefore better for developing ideas than for a durable final display. Its thinness is an advantage during design development, but a disadvantage when the sheet must withstand repeated handling.

Tracing paper has a very smooth, translucent surface. Placing it over an existing drawing lets a designer copy an outline or develop a different version without redrawing everything. It is useful for working drawings, transferring designs and comparing alternatives while preserving the original.

Its relatively hard surface allows mistakes to be removed, but a thin sheet is still flimsy in handling and vulnerable when wet. It is also more expensive than ordinary paper. Choose it when seeing the drawing beneath is essential, rather than simply as a costly replacement for everyday sketching paper.

Copier paper and cartridge paper: printing or drawing?

Copier paper is usually a lightweight, smooth paper, commonly around 80 gsm. It is inexpensive and suitable for photocopying, printing everyday documents and making quick sketches. Its surface allows text and simple graphics to appear clearly.

However, it is not suitable for wet media. A lightweight sheet can distort when wetted and lacks the substance needed for a robust presentation. For an everyday printed document this may not matter; for a carefully painted design visualisation it does.

Cartridge paper is heavier and slightly textured. Its surface texture, called tooth, helps pencil grip the sheet. It is useful for sketching, design drawings and artwork using pencil, ink or light washes. Its greater substance makes it more durable than layout paper, and it can withstand repeated erasing.

It is not transparent enough for tracing. Heavy marker use can bleed through, and suitability for paint depends on the grade and how much water is used. Cartridge paper is a stronger choice than copier paper for a pencil presentation drawing, but it should not be treated as suitable for every drawing medium.

Recycled paper: a fibre source, not a single grade

Recycled paper contains fibres recovered from used paper. It can be selected for everyday documents or printed products to reduce demand for virgin pulp and make use of waste material.

Its appearance and performance depend on the grade: recycled paper is not necessarily rough or grey. Colour, smoothness and printing quality still need to suit the intended product. Recycling shortens fibres, which can reduce strength; blending recovered fibres with virgin fibres can help maintain performance.

The advantage is the use of recovered material. A possible disadvantage is reduced strength where shorter fibres affect the grade. For an ordinary printed leaflet, a suitable recycled paper may meet the requirements well. For a product needing greater tear resistance, its actual strength needs checking rather than assuming that recycled content guarantees suitability.

Mounting board and folding boxboard: stiffness or foldability?

Mounting board is a dense, rigid board used to support artwork, photographs and presentation displays. Its stiffness keeps work flat and gives a display a substantial, finished appearance. Its visible colour and surface should complement the work being mounted.

That rigidity is useful for display but makes it a poor choice when a product must bend and fold easily. It is bulkier than paper and is not a direct substitute for a lightweight sheet used for sketches or everyday printing. Choose it where support and presentation quality justify the extra substance.

Folding boxboard is a multi-layer board designed for folding cartons. Its layers provide stiffness, while its construction allows clean creasing and folding. A smooth, often coated white printing surface supports branding, product information and attractive graphics. Typical uses include cereal cartons, cosmetics packaging and other retail boxes.

Its advantage is the balance between holding a box shape and folding into that shape. However, it does not provide the cushioning of a fluted corrugated structure. It is a good choice for a printed retail carton, but less suitable on its own when a fragile item needs protection against delivery impacts.

Corrugated board: protection with relatively little mass

Corrugated board has a wavy paper layer, called fluting, between flat liner sheets. This separates the liners and creates a lightweight structure with good stiffness, compressive strength and cushioning. These properties make it useful for shipping boxes, protective packaging, structural models and displays.

The fluted construction explains why corrugated board is chosen for protection rather than simply using a flat sheet of the same mass. It provides bulk and cushioning without needing a completely solid thickness of material.

Its limitations include vulnerability to moisture, which can cause warping, and a less refined finish than smooth presentation boards. It is generally less suitable for high-quality printed detail, although it can carry packaging graphics. The exposed fluted edge may also be undesirable on a carefully finished model.

Reach a justified selection

Consider a fragile item sold in a printed carton and then delivered to a customer. Folding boxboard is useful for the retail carton because it combines printable surfaces with clean folds. Corrugated board is more suitable for the outer shipping box because cushioning and resistance to crushing are more important there. Neither is universally better: they solve different problems.

A sound evaluation follows the same reasoning for any paper or board: identify the requirement, explain how a property meets it, recognise a relevant limitation, and conclude whether the benefit outweighs that limitation for this particular use.

Papers: property → use → limitation

Boards: property → use → limitation