Paper thickness

[GallusHandl]

What kind of paper do people use for printing out copies of pieces for singers -- you know, a thickness or variety that's just opaque enough? Thanks.

[CHGiffen]

I usually print music on 24 lb paper.

Chuck

[choralia]

In Europe I think that the most common thickness is 80 grams per square meter, which is about 10% less than 24 lb.

Max

[DrewE]

I tend to use whatever is in my laser printer, which usually means generic cheap photocopier paper. For most reasonably short pieces, I don't attempt duplexing, as duplexing is a manual process on my printer. It also gives a little more flexibility in putting the page turns at convenient places, which admittedly is a greater concern for instrumentalists than for singers.

[GallusHandl]

All of interest. Is duplexing a $3.95 word for double sided?

Admittedly, it's a toss-up -- single-sided pages are better for short pieces (including most of my church repertoire) but they take up twice the file drawer space.

[CHGiffen]

I have a laser printer that does 2-sided printing on letter, legal, A4 paper automatically, so it's no problem, and that is when I prefer to use 24 lb paper. For works that take up only 1 side, I sometimes use 20 lb standard paper. I also have a wide-bed printer which I use for printing side-by-side on tabloid (11 x 17 inch) paper; unfortunately though, I can only locate 20 lb paper easily (although I'd prefer 24 lb paper), but I still use it for 2-sided printing (4 pages in all, 2 on each side).

Chuck

[DrewE]

Is duplexing a $3.95 word for double sided?

Yes, it is a slightly sesquipedalian word for printing on both sides of the paper.

A printing press that prints on both sides of the paper in a single pass is called a "perfecting press," so I suspect duplexing may more specifically refers to making two passes through the printing mechanism in order to get both sides printed. At any rate, a printer with a duplexer can print on both sides of the paper automatically, and that's the term to look for if you're in the market for such a machine. (I doubt we'll see many perfecting desktop printers anytime soon.)

[vaarky]

Interesting tidbit!

I use standard copier paper. We read through so much music at each session! I duplex to save both paper and storage space.Why use twice the drawer space?

[anaigeon]

(I doubt we'll see many perfecting desktop printers anytime soon.)

With two printers, and a sort of meta printer driver, it should be possible

[luis henriques]

On my ensemble I usually take copies and print in 120g paper (I don't how much is it in lb). It resists better the use.

[Robert Urmann]

If it's still of interest: I love printing on coloured paper with slightly higher grammage! Many music publishers use these sheets which are gently yellow (some kind of pastel), and it's very comfortable reading music from these prints -- at least during performances when light is faint (churches or cathedrals in the evening or even at midnight). Pure white paper is widely available at the lowest prices, but the contrast is sometimes too intense. Did you ever noticed the coloured paper used when broadcasting the evening news? And every good novel is printed on "dirty" paper, not on 100% white pages!

I prefer coated/plane paper (suitable for laser printers) with a grammage of 100 g/m² (about 22 [US] lb). It doesn't feel so delicate like lighter paper, and laser print-outs are much clearer. Thicker paper is also more resistant, especially when used by singers with sweaty hands (shall happen from time to time …).

When scores consist of only two (A4-) pages I print on A3 paper -- page 1 on the left side -- and fold it: This prevents noisy and annoying page turning. According to Murphy's law it would happen during the quietest passages, especially in grand pauses -- just like people trying to out-cough each other during a Largo.

Back to printing: scores with more than 2 pages end up on A3 paper (duplex) as well. You can fold the sheets and staple with one or two clips.

Happy printing,
Robert