White cardboard and coated paper are the most common paper in the printing industry. There is a high degree of similarity between the two. So it is difficult for people who specialize in paper printing or laypeople discernible at a glance.

What's white cardboard?

White cardboard is a kind of thick paper that is strong, thick and quantitative. The most common cardboard is not colored, commonly known as white cardboard. If it is colored, it is called color cardboard according to the color.

White cardboard is surnamed "white", so it has high requirements for whiteness. The whiteness of A grade is not less than 92%, B grade is not lower than 87%, and C grade is not lower than 82%. When the whiteness exceeds 90%, it is a bit "bright and dazzling".

White cardboard also requires higher stiffness, burst resistance and smoothness (except for white cardboard with embossed patterns). The paper surface is flat, no streaks, spots and other paper defects are allowed, and no warpage is allowed deformation occurs.

What's coated paper?

Coated paper, known as coated printing paper, art paper, cropper paper, etc. It is a high-grade printing paper made of base paper coated with white paint. It is mainly used for printing the covers and illustrations of high-end books and periodicals, color pictures, various exquisite commodity advertisements, samples, commodity packaging, trademarks, etc.

Coated paper is made of coated and decorated base paper. The surface is smooth and fine. It can be coated on both sides and single side. The paper is divided into glossy and matte (matt) coated paper.

What's the difference between white cardboard and coated paper?

1. Different hardness

Because the main raw material of the coated paper is relatively soft. Even in the later processing and handling stages, the softness of coated paper will not be significantly improved. So most coated paper is used to print children's books, magazines or color advertising leaflets. As the main raw material of white paperboard, wood pulp has a higher hardness than base paper. Through further processing in the later stage, the hardness of white cardboard is further improved. This is one of the most intuitive differences between white cardboard tote bags and coated paper tote bags. Because white cardboard generally has certain stiffness requirements. So compared with coated paper, the hardness of white cardboard is higher.

2. Different usage

The white cardboard is strong and thick, and has strong burst resistance. White cardboard is mostly used for packaging, cards,printing business cards, certificates, invitations, covers, monthly desk calendars, and postal postcards. Coated paper is bright and smooth, ink is fast, and the color is bright. Coated paper is mostly used for book illustrations and pasting boxes. Coated paper is also suitable for delicate color printing.

3. Different thickness

The thickness of white cardboard is generally between 0.27mm and 0.55mm. But, the thickness of the coated paper is generally only 0.06mm to 0.465mm. Generally speaking, white cardboard will look thicker. But some specifications of coated paper will be thicker than white cardboard.

4. Different making crafts

White cardboard is a single-layer or multi-layer bonded paper made entirely of bleached chemical pulp and fully sized. Coated paper is a kind of coated paper, usually bleached chemical wood pulp or partially bleached chemical straw. Coated paper base paper is manufactured on a paper machine. And then white pigments and other auxiliary raw materials are evenly coated on the base paper on a coating machine and finally dried and super-calendered.

5. The storage time is different

In the printing and production process of coated paper, base paper is used as the base material. It is made by coating a layer of white paint on the outer surface of the base paper after calendering. Once coated paper is contaminated by moisture, it will fall off or appear sticky, and the storage time is usually very limited. However, the raw material used to make white cardboard is imported wood pulp. Therefore, after printing patterns on white cardboard and putting it into use. It is not easily disturbed by external factors and has a longer storage time than coated paper.

To sum up, white cardboard has high hardness and is suitable for single-sided printing. While coated paper has a smoother surface coating and is suitable for double-sided printing.