Hello,
I’m curious about sizing in some Legion papers. Can someone explain the differences in sizing between the papers below? thanks

Stonehenge standard
Stonehenge Oil
Stonehenge Aqua
Rives BFK 175 gsm
Rives BFK 115 gsm
Rising Barrier and Board
Somerset Book

Hi BH,

Each mill has their own production process and sizing methods. Below is a breakdown of each paper type and their sizing characteristics.

Stonehenge (Original): Synthetic sizing. Light internal sizing and minimal external sizing.
Stonehenge Oil: Synthetic sizing. Light internal sizing and minimal external sizing with an inert, no bleed barrier in the middle of the sheet.
Stonehenge Aqua: Synthetic sizing. Well sized internally and externally.
Rives BFK 115gsm & 175gsm: Synthetic sizing. Internally sized with minimal surface sizing.
Rising Products: Synthetic sizing. Light internal and external sizing.
Somerset Book: Synthetic sizing. Light internal sizing and no external sizing.

Thanks! That might explain some of the differences I’ve noticed between Stonehenge and Rives - tape used on Rives will pull up some of the paper.

Should have also asked about Lenox too.

Hi BH,

Sizing plays a significant role when it comes to texture hardness but the production process and raw materials used also play a part. Mould Made papers generally have a softer surface than a machine made paper because the fibers lay in random directions whereas the fiber direction on a machine made paper run in one direction across the whole sheet.

The fiber length of a mould made paper is longer than that of a machine made paper which also plays into the softness/hardness of paper surfaces. The longer fiber makes a mould made paper stronger and more flexible but also creates a softer surface in general.


Lenox has light internal sizing and minimal external sizing similar to Stonehenge (Original).

Ok, that makes sense. I’ll look for machine made, I mostly prefer a harder surface. And externally sized, too.