Cardboard is a thin cardboard.
Cardboard is a thin cardboard that is used to create posters, cards and other similar elements . The term comes from the Italian word cartolina , in turn derived from the Latin chartŭla (which can be translated as "sheet of paper" ).
It can be said that cardboard is lighter and has greater flexibility than other types of cardboard, but at the same time it has greater strength and thickness than conventional paper . What defines cardboard is its weight (the number of grams per square meter), which is around 200 g/m2 .
Manufacture and use of cardboard
The manufacture of cardboard can be carried out in different ways. It is possible to produce cardboard with recycled paper or raw cellulose , for example, using one or several layers of the material .
The use of cardboard is linked to the need to achieve greater durability than that offered by paper. Cardboard is also often used when you want the sheet to not wrinkle or fold easily.
Examples of use
Suppose a woman wants to hang a “happy birthday” sign for her son on a wall in her house. For this purpose, you buy a piece of cardboard, write the message with a marker (marker, marker or fiber marker) and adhere it to the wall with adhesive tape.
Event invitation cards , on the other hand, can be made with cardboard. It is even possible to produce cards ( playing cards) with cardboard. This support, although it is more resistant than paper, is usually quite economical, so its use is very diverse.
The use of cardboard is also common in the school environment, to create synoptic tables and other complementary elements for the presentations that students must make in front of the class. The research work of the different subjects usually culminates in an oral defense , in which they must explain the topics covered and answer various questions from the teachers and other students. Although electronic media, such as monitors and projectors, are currently used, paper continues to be useful in more traditional schools.
Given its resistance, cardboard is halfway between paper and the cardboard used for boxes, for example, so that it fulfills functions that neither of these two materials could and integrates perfectly with both. It can be used to create bookmarks, since its thickness does not spoil the structure if placed between two pages, but it can also be used to label a box, since it is light and thin enough to be cut out and glued to one of its sides. .
Cards and posters can be made with cardboard.
Size, texture and colors
Cardboard is sold in a standard size, although there are others for more specific uses. The dimensions of the cardboard that is usually sold for school use is 50 x 65 centimeters , ideal for posters and paintings that require the aforementioned practical work.
Regarding its colors, although white is the most common for writing tasks, cardboard is available in a wide palette, which includes black. Its texture is also important, since it must serve the user's purpose: matte is the most used to write on, but you can also buy rough, shiny or metallic if you want to use it for decorative purposes.
Since it can be used to make relatively rigid figures, the variety of textures and colors in which it is sold is ideal for letting your imagination fly and creating all kinds of elements.