If you print anything in your office, there's a good chance that your small business uses some type of bond paper. This strong yet light type of paper works well with both laser and inkjet printers and can also be a good choice for handwritten documents. You can find this versatile paper useful for printing common business documents like forms, invoices and reports. When purchasing this paper, you can find it in various weights, colors and styles to fit your needs.

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Your business can use bond paper to create handwritten letters and blueprints as well as to print daily documents like event invitations, contracts, notices and brochures. The government has also used this paper for bond certificates, hence the name.

Basics of Bond Paper

Sometimes confused with basic copier paper, bond paper comes in heavier weights and is made of cotton rag fiber to give it more strength. The paper weight usually starts at 16 pounds and goes up to 36 pounds. You'll most often find it in a pack of 500 letter-sized sheets measuring 8.5 by 11 inches. However, retailers also sell rolls of bond paper or packs of longer sheets measuring 8.5 by 14 inches.

You can find a variety of bond-paper styles suited to different purposes. For example, you can find bond copy paper for use with the printer and translucent bond paper for architectural drawings. In addition to coming in white and an array of colors, bond paper may have decorations like borders or backgrounds for when you need something more special. You can even find perforated bond paper for when you need to split a sheet into smaller documents.

Common Bond-Paper Uses

If you take a look at a picture of a bond certificate issued by the government, you'll find that the government used bond paper to make it. In fact, this was the original use of this type of paper and is reflected in its name. Today, this paper has a wide variety of everyday business uses that include:

  • Contracts: Bond paper works well for lease agreements, employment contracts, purchase orders, nondisclosure agreements and other contracts.

  • Brochures: When you need to make some quick brochures showing your company or specific product or service, bond paper can provide an alternative to cardstock. It takes color well, and you can laminate the paper for heavier use.

  • Resumes and cover letters: While regular copy paper might work, using high-quality bond paper for job-related documents might give off a better impression.

  • Reports and proposals: Whether you're making a sales, inventory, marketing or other report type, bond paper has enough strength to do the job. It can also work well for a report cover.

  • Invoices: Using perforated bond paper can come in handy for making receipts and invoices.

  • Event invitations: Bond paper suffices for making basic event invitations that you fold in half and design with a word-processing application.

  • Business letters: Bond paper with decorations that resemble professional stationery make it a good choice for handwritten or printed letters.
  • Drawings: Translucent bond paper that comes in a roll works for making sketches, blueprints and other drawings using pencils, markers and other tools.

  • Forms: Job applications, tax forms, financial documents and customer feedback surveys are all forms where bond paper will work well.

Bond Paper: Pros and Cons

Bond paper's main advantages include its versatility, strength and affordable cost. Your office can use this paper for most daily printing and writing needs and can save money by not using more expensive paper like cardstock. The paper can withstand typical daily use, and it tends to have good aesthetics that make the ink easily readable while providing good contrast.

You may find using bond paper limiting if your business needs to print more durable or sophisticated items. For example, you could use your bond paper for business cards and greeting cards for employees, but these items may not last as long. As an alternative, you could consider using more expensive cardstock for things like menus, cards and tags that will be handled a lot.