1. Planning and Paper Objectives:
Understand the importance of preplanning a document including a thumbnail sketch.
Understand that documents are created with different page orientations and printed on different types of paper.
Understand the folds that are used within publications.

2. Thumbnail Sketch:
A rough draft of the design of your page is called a thumbnail sketch.
These sketches are used to get a basic idea of the design and layout of your publication before you start your project.

3. Orientation:
A term that specifies the position of a page when it is printed.
Portrait
Landscape

4. Paper Size:
There have been many standard sizes of paper at different times and in different countries.

5. A (letter) Legal B (ledger) Super B/Super A3 C D E
Sample Paper Sizes
U.S. Name
A (letter) Legal B (ledger) Super B/Super A3 C D E
U.S. Size
8.5 x 11 inches x 14 inches 11 x 17 inches 13 x 19 inches 17 x 22 inches 22 x 34 inches 34 x 44 inches
Metric Equivalent x 279 mm x 356 mm x 432 mm x 483 mm x 559 mm x 864 mm x 1118 mm
Metric Name A5 A4 A3 A3+ A2 A1 A0
Metric Size
148 x 210 mm x 297 mm x 420 mm x 483 mm x 594 mm x 841 mm x 1189 mm
U.S. Equivalent
5.8 x 8.3 inches x 11.7 inches x 16.5 inches 13 x 19 inches x 23.4 inches x 33.1 inches x 46.8 inches

6. Paperweight:
Refers to the thickness and sturdiness of the paper. The heavier the weight, the thicker the sheet, the “weight” is not how much each sheet weighs.
In the US we use paperweight. Much of the world uses GSM which stands for grams per square meter, which is the actual weight of the sheet.

7. Sample Paper Sizes GSM Weight Description 74 20 lb bond/ 50 lb text
Copy paper 90
24 lb bond/
60 lb text
Business letterhead or stationary
105
28 lb bond/
70 lb text
Brochures and presentations – excellent for two sided printing w/ minimal show through
165
90 lb index
Durable cardstock with a smooth, hard surface
175
65 lb cover
Sturdy cardstock with a superb “soft feel” fast drying surface – great for postcards, menus & posters
215
80 lb cover
Heavy cardstock – most conventional business card weight

8. Paper Folds:
Tri-fold
Z fold
Half fold

9. Facing Pages:
A book fold creates pages that appear side by side or facing pages.
Facing pages that are designed as one page are called a DPS or Double Page Spread.