If you’re not a regular user of perforated paper you may be wondering what it exactly is, and how it differs from other paper.
Have you ever received some sort of mail with a section that says something like “just tear along the dotted line” followed by a line of tiny, microscopic holes making it easy to tear a portion of the page, instead of having to try to find a pair of scissors or attempting to rip the page in a straight line?
That is a perforated line, or a sheet of perforated paper.
Mostly used for business purposes, perforated paper can come as single, multiple, or a combination of horizontal and vertical perforations. Printing businesses can also supply perforated paper in a range of colors, weights, sizes, and customizable formats to fit virtually any need and printing equipment.
Uses for Perforated Paper
Perforated paper can be used for a wide range of applications where they prove more beneficial than regular or even pre-punched paper. You will most commonly see perforated paper used for:
Perforated paper has many advantages over other types of paper, here are five of those advantages.
It is cheaper to buy paper already perforated than to try and perforate it yourself which used to be common for businesses to do.
Your business is not incurring more labor costs to do the perforating, and you won’t need to purchase a machine and the accessories to perforate paper. The cost of perforated paper is only slightly higher than the cost of regular paper.
In the past you usually had to do it yourself if the paper size you wanted wasn’t a common size. But today, perforated paper is available not just in normal letter and legal sizes, but also in 11″ by 17″ and 9″ by 11″.
Most come in either 20lb or 24lb bond with perforations offered in whatever positions you require.
Trying to set up and print your own forms with perforations is time consuming. You need to set up the machine correctly, load and unload it, and keep the machine maintained on a regular basis. You will also find yourself spending further time fixing any mistakes that occur while also dealing with paper jams.
Ordering perforated paper already formatted to your exact requirements ensures you get the right items arriving at the right time.
Perforated paper used to have a reputation for regularly causing paper jams in copying machines. However, the papers used today by printing companies are of a superior quality and run smoothly through all copying machines, including laser and inkjet printers.
The paper is run through rollers to prevent potential curling. It is then sealed in moisture resistant reams to ensure consistent quality throughout transportation and storage.
You can create virtually anything you can think of with perforated paper. A registration sheet for a conference or seminar, where one side holds details for the interested party, while the other side offers a place for them to write their information. They can tear along the perforation and return to confirm their attendance and provide their details, while keeping the rest of the sheet with the event details.
Larger sheets can split into several smaller ones to become coupons or raffle tickets. Pages can be perforated along the edge and bound to create custom workbooks or other teaching curriculum, for use in the office, school, church, or home.
These are just a few examples, but there are many other projects perforated paper can help you create.