Bond and carbon papers are two varieties of copy paper made from wood pulp that share similar textures, feel, and finishes. Their main difference is that bond has longer fibers while carbon has shorter ones than bond. As such, the bond paper provides excellent coverage, while carbon has greater transparency for more economical copying needs.
“Bond” and “carbon” in book publishing represent two separate but related concepts.
1. Bond: Publishers widely use Bond paper for book printing. Often constructed of high-grade, durable paper with an exceptionally smooth surface and known to absorb ink readily, bond is preferred due to its ability to withstand repeated handling and extensive ink usage during printing processes.
2. Carbon: In the book and publishing industry, “carbon” refers to carbon copies widely used for duplicating documents. Carbon copies involve duplicating a sheet of carbon paper between two sheets.
Before the invention of photocopiers and digital technologies, people used carbon copying to make copies of documents such as manuscripts and contracts. This involved placing a sheet coated with carbon ink between two sheets. When pressure was applied to the sheet through writing or typing, it would create a mirrored impression and transfer a copy onto the bottom sheet. However, with advancements in copying methods, carbon copies have become obsolete. They are no longer widely used.
