In the rolling paper industry, products are usually referred to by format names such as “King Size Slim”, “1¼” or “Regular”. Although these names are established in the industry, they are not defined by an international standard and may vary by a few millimetres from one manufacturer to another. For this reason, in corporate partnerships and technical specifications, the format name should always be stated together with the dimensions in millimetres and the leaf count. In this guide, we summarise the logic behind format naming and NOVEX’s standard Interleaving Booklet formats.
The logic behind format naming
The size of a leaf is defined by two dimensions: length and width. Some format names refer primarily to length, while others refer to width. In commercial naming, the two are usually combined; in “King Size Slim”, for example, “King Size” relates to length and “Slim” to width.
Names that refer to length
- Regular: One of the shortest common formats in the industry. NOVEX’s Regular format is 69 mm long.
- 1¼ (One and a Quarter): A format that sits between Regular and King Size. According to the common explanation, its name comes from being roughly a quarter wider than single-width paper. NOVEX’s 1¼ format measures 75 × 44 mm.
- King Size: Defines the longer family of formats. NOVEX’s King Size formats are 107–108 mm long.
Names that refer to width
Within the King Size family, width differences are indicated by suffixes such as “Slim”, “Super Slim” and “XL”. These suffixes are relative terms; the absolute value only becomes meaningful with a measurement in millimetres:
- Super Slim: The narrowest option in the King Size family; 36 mm wide at NOVEX.
- Slim: The mid-width option; 44 mm wide at NOVEX.
- XL: Denotes the wider option; 53 mm wide at NOVEX.
As can be seen, the Regular format and King Size Super Slim share the same width (36 mm), and 1¼ and King Size Slim share the same width (44 mm). This shows that the format name alone is not sufficient and that both dimensions must be specified.
Standard Interleaving Booklet formats
The standard formats produced on the multi-format Interleaving Booklet lines at the NOVEX facility are listed in the table below. Dimensions are given as “length × width”.
| Format | Dimensions (length × width) | Leaf count |
|---|---|---|
| King Size Slim | 108 × 44 mm | 32 |
| King Size Super Slim | 108 × 36 mm | 32 |
| Regular | 69 × 36 mm | 50 |
| King Size XL | 107 × 53 mm | 32 |
| 1¼ (One and a Quarter) | 75 × 44 mm | 50 |
Leaf count and booklet size
In the standard formats, the King Size family is produced with 32 leaves, while the shorter Regular and 1¼ formats are produced with 50 leaves. Leaf count directly affects booklet thickness, cover dimensions, the arrangement within the intermediate pack and the carton layout. A change in leaf count is therefore a specification decision that affects not only the quantity of paper but also the cover and packaging dimensions.
Dimensional tolerance and control
Format consistency depends on precision at the cutting and sizing stages. In the interleaving structure, width is set at the slitting stage and length at the cutting unit on the line. In the Flat Booklet structure, the dimensions result from cutting the stacked paper with a guillotine. In both cases, regular dimensional checks throughout production are important for maintaining dimensional consistency between batches.
Format changes on multi-format lines
On multi-format Interleaving lines, different formats can be produced on the same infrastructure; however, each format change requires the line settings and relevant parts to be changed, followed by a repeat of the dimensional checks. In production planning, it is therefore important to group orders of the same format together wherever possible, both for line efficiency and for dimensional consistency. Partners sharing format and quantity information at an early stage helps planning to be carried out more effectively.
How should the format be stated in a specification?
To avoid misunderstandings in corporate partnerships, it is recommended that format information be defined in writing together with the following elements:
- Format name (e.g. King Size Slim)
- Length × width in millimetres
- Leaf count per booklet
- Grammage (g/m²) and paper type
- Booklet structure (Interleaving or Flat Booklet)
- Whether a gum strip is included
Paper grammage options start from 12 g/m²; requests for other grammages can be evaluated separately. Requests for dimensions outside the standard formats in the table are reviewed within the scope of technical capability and applicable legislation. For detailed product information, see the Products page; technical questions can be submitted via the Contact page.
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