True or False: ‘Duplex Laminated’ + ‘Double Thick Cover’ are the Same

Answer: False…kind of?

To make a business card or other piece feel more substantial, you might want to use a super-thick paper.  

You can go with a Double Thick Cover (DTC), which is two sheets “glued” together. For instance, laminating two of the same 65 lb. Cover sheets together will give you a 130 lb. DTC. 

So far, so uncomplicated, right?  

Duplex papers, on the other hand, are created by bonding together two different kinds of cover sheets together.  

In most cases, this is done with two colors in the same finish from the same paper line. But mills can also bond two different colors with different finishes – linen on one side, smooth on the other, for example.  

So while both of the examples above are technically Double Thick Cover papers, the “Duplex” distinction lets you know that there’s something unique about each of the sheets used to make the Duplex paper.

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