Drafting Paper
Getting your design
in black & white

Drafting paper, is that still used ? Are we not supposed to be living in a "paperless society" ? Well, not quite. We probably use more drafting paper than ever before and in more varieties. High speed plotters and printers have made it possible to consume forms of paper in enormous amounts.

In the past making a large drawing was half as much making a work of art as well as making an accurate engineering document. You had to plan things out to a great degree to avoid multiple revisions, especially if you were drawing in ink. Now even the most complicated illustrations can be printed several times to get them just right.

Types of Drafting Paper

  • Bond - This is similiar to the paper we use everyday in our office printers. It's the least expensive paper and is usually supplied in roll form for drafting plotters or in sheets for printers. Bond is available in different weights. 18 to 24 lb Bond is most commonly used, because it lends itself to ink jet and laser printing. But if you are hand drafting in pen and ink or pencil you will often find this paper too thin. If you erase something too many times you can wear right through the paper. but much heavier weights can be used for posters and presentation work.
  • What does 24 pound paper mean anyway ? The english units paper measurement system is a little silly. It is based on the needs of the paper makers where 500 sheets of 17 by 22 inch sheet of paper weighing is 24 pounds before being cut to size!  That means 500 sheets of your favorite 11 by 17 inch paper will actually weigh less than 24 pounds.
  • By way of comparison, books and magazines typically use 30 - 100 lb paper and business cards 60 - 120 lbs. Those manilla file folders are about 100 lbs.
  • Sketch Pads - Despite having 3D CAD systems many designers still appreciate sketching things out on paper. Many still swear by square ruled bond paper pads to hash out their design concepts.. These drafting paper sketchpads were traditionally available only in 8-1/2" x 11" format but demand is still there and now there are 11"x 17" versions for larger layouts.The ruled squares make it easy to lay 2D views to scale and also help as guideleines when you want to sketch out a 3D pictorial view. The smaller pads are available with isometric ruling but you can easily do without those if you know how to make perspective lines when you are sketching.

  • Mylar - This is a drafting film made from plastic material. It has the advantage of being eraseable which, if you are working in ink, is a great advantage. It's also semi transparent, making it possible to overlay mylar drawings on a light table to check if linework matches up. The film is more resistant to tears and is more durable than paper. It is still used with drafting plotters and is available in roll form and in cut sheets. Mylar has a shiny side and a "matte" side which you draw on. The surface of mylar is quite slippery, and in the past special pens and inks were developed specifically for drawing on it. Modern plotters may have problems printing on mylar because the mylar does not absorb ink quickly like bond paper does. The ink stays wet and may smudge. Mylar is also quite expensive.

  • Vellum - This is a linen based paper that has traditionally been used in drafting offices. The high linen content makes it durable and allows pencil work to be erased and revised multiple times. It's not as strong as mylar but also is not as expensive. Vellum also has a smooth surface which does not absorb ink as fast as bond paper. That may cause problems in plotters with ink smudging.

  • Photo - With the advances in drafting printers and plotters photo media became available in roll form for printing super size renderings and images. It's a costly media and is usually reserved for the best of presentation graphics. But it allows the engineering office to do more by taking on work that was previously done by the print shop and the graphic designer.





> Paper used in engineering drawings

 

Diamond Crossing

Diamond Crossing

Raillroad diamond crossing with replacement frogs and lead-in rails
Duct Layout

Duct Layout

Dust Collector pipe layout designed for constant velocity of 3500 fpm
Disk Brake Assembly

Disk Brake Assembly

Disk brake assembly for commuter rail car