A - B
Antique Finish
Rough paper finish created by reducing pressure at the wet presses on the paper machine and with little or no calendaring.
Archival Paper
Acid-free paper made to resist deterioration for documents that must last and meet special specifications.
Backwater
Water returned from the pulp or paper or board making process for re-use.
Bleaching
Chemically treating a pulp to increase delignification (after the colour matter) so the pulp has a higher brightness.
Bleed
An image that is printed to the edges of a page, or the ability of a press or printer to print an image to the edges of a page. A full bleed document is printed on a larger sheet and is trimmed to size, since ink or toner would foul press cylinders or belts if it actually extended off the edges of the paper. Printers typically charge more for bleeds because more paper is required.
Bond
Originally a term applied to cotton-content paper used for printing bonds and legal documents, and distinguished by strength, performance, and durability. Used for letterheads and forms, bond paper may now be made from cotton, chemical wood pulp, or a combination of the two. Today, writing, digital, and cut-size papers are often identified with the bond scale.
Brightness
A measure of the reflectance of paper in the blue region of the light spectrum. On its own, brightness does not describe the colour of the paper. Brightness is sensitive to the UV content of the illumination if the paper contains fluorescent whitening agent.
Bursting strength
Resistance of paper to rupture under pressure as tested on a mullen or 'pop' tester.
