I’ve got a huge 4,000+ page MS Word document that I need to output to 8.5 x 11 paper. I want to minimize the bulk of the final product so I intend to print on both sides of the page.
I would also like to use very thin, but opaque, paper. I know that there are paper stocks used in the printing and bookmaking trade that would fit the bill. (IIRC, one type in particular, called “Bible paper,” is specifically formulated for thinness and opacity; why printers would call it Bible paper is obvious.) But, do they make very thin, yet opaque, paper in an 8.5 x 11 size that is suitable for laser printing? And where can I get such paper?
(Another thought: would it jam the machine because it is too thin?)
Thanks in advance for your help.
I found this PDF page that gives specs for a printing paper labeled “Light Weight Offset Book (Bible Paper)”:http://0-www.gpo.gov.library.csuhayward.edu/qualitycontrol/paperspecs/part1/013.pdf.
It says that bible paper comes in at 45 grams per square meter with an average thickness of 0.053 millimeters (0.0021 inches).
What kind of laser printer do you have? Just as an example, this page, http://y2k.centre.net.au/Epson_EPL_5900L_Mono_Laser_Printer_0006FJ.html, about an Epson EPL-5900L printer says that it can only handle paper between 60 and 163 grams per square meter. Bible paper would be too thin for it. Maybe your printer could handle it, though?
Still looking for advice here. Thanks all. Bump.
I was thinking the reply you got was pretty good. It seems well-cited from the standpoint of authority and completeness. Can you give us any info on why it is inadequate?
I’d be tempted to take the thing to a print shop and let them handle it.
Scarlett, former prepress drone
Can you tell us the minimum thickness of paper your printer can handle?
It’s not going to be much use if someone comes up with a supplier of 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of bible paper if your printer can’t handle anything that’s less than 65 grams per square meter (for example).
4000+ pages!, do you actually intend on reading it? How big a stack of paper are you willing to live with? If you eyesight is good you can print 2 pages per in landscape mode or even 4 pages per in portrait mode. If you do this double-sided that gets you to a managable 500 sheets of paper.
If it a Word doc, you could also change the font sizes to fit more on a page without having to do any fancy printing.
My first suggestion would be reducing the fonst size and the margins. 4000 pages double-sided using the “Bible paper” would still be thicker than a phone book (around 4" thick).