2 part carbonless paper is a two-sheet NCR (No Carbon Required) copy system. The top sheet, called CB, or Coated Back, carries a layer of pressure-sensitive microcapsules filled with a colorless dye precursor. The bottom sheet, called CF, or Coated Front, carries a reactive clay coating on its face. When pressure is applied by a pen, an impact printer, or a laser or inkjet pass on compatible stocks, the microcapsules rupture. The dye contacts the clay, a chemical reaction occurs, and an instant, clean duplicate appears on the second sheet. No carbon paper, no smudging, no handling mess.
This chemistry is also known as carbonless paper 2 part, two-part copy paper, or simply NCR paper. The NCR abbreviation traces back to the National Cash Register Corporation, which developed the microencapsulation technology in the early 1950s as a cleaner replacement for carbon-interleaved multipart forms. Today the terms are used interchangeably across the industry.
If your workflow requires three simultaneous copies rather than two, see our 3 part carbonless paper collection for the same brands and sizes in a three-sheet CB/CFB/CF configuration.
What Is 2 Part Carbonless Paper Used For?
The core use case is any transaction or record where two parties each need a copy at the moment of completion. Invoices are the most common application, the business retains the original, the customer walks away with the duplicate. The same logic applies to delivery receipts and packing slips, where the shipper keeps a record and the recipient signs and holds theirs. Work orders and field service agreements follow the same pattern: the technician completes the form, the customer signs, and both parties leave with an identical copy produced in a single writing pass.
Purchase orders, inspection checklists, rental agreements, and sales contracts all fall into the same category. Commercial print shops produce custom-printed 2 part forms in large volumes for clients across construction, logistics, healthcare, and field services pre-printed with job-specific layouts, sequential numbering, and company branding, then padded or booklet-bound for distribution.
If your operation is producing custom printed 2 part carbonless invoice forms or any other pre-printed 2 part product and you need sourcing guidance or technical specifications, call us directly. We can advise on stock selection, collation, and padding compound compatibility.
2 Part Carbonless Paper for Laser Printers and Inkjet Printers
Printing on Carbonless Forms with a Laser Printer
Running 2 part carbonless paper for laser printers requires a stock specifically formulated for it. Standard carbonless coating is not designed for the heat generated by a laser fuser assembly. At fusing temperatures, unprotected microcapsule coatings can pre-activate, producing ghost images on the wrong sheet, contaminating the fuser, or jamming the press entirely.
Laser-compatible carbonless paper uses a heat-stable coating that survives the fusing stage without activation. Our Excel One carbonless paper is engineered precisely for this environment. It runs clean through cut-sheet laser systems, digital copiers, and toner-based production presses, and delivers consistent dark image transfer. It carries 92 brightness on select grades and is used by in-plant operations and commercial shops across the country.
2 Part Carbonless Paper for Inkjet Printers
For 2 part carbonless paper for inkjet printers, the critical variable is ink absorption. The carbonless coating must allow ink to anchor cleanly on the sheet surface without feathering into the coating layer or bleeding through to the copy sheet below. Most of our reverse-collated stocks handle standard office and commercial inkjet output without issue.
High-speed production inkjet is a different consideration, coating weight and surface sizing vary by stock and manufacturer. If you are running continuous or high-volume production inkjet presses, call us before ordering. We will match you to the right substrate for your specific equipment rather than leaving you to test and return.
Top-Rated Brands for 2 Part Carbonless Paper
We carry multiple brands, each with a distinct performance profile. Excel One is the go-to for laser and digital print shops: heat-stable, high-brightness, and engineered for contamination-free digital press environments. Giroform is the offset shop choice when image quality and press runability are the priority, available in 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 17 in reverse-collated CB/CF sets. Rainbow Max is color-coded stock for operations that need to visually differentiate copies in multi-copy workflows, available in both straight and reverse collation. Our standard carbonless line covers general commercial printing across the full size range: 8.5 x 11, 8.5 x 14, 9 x 11 PERF, and 8.5 x 11.5 PERF, all in reverse-collated CB/CF configuration.
Browse the full carbonless paper collection for all available grades, or go directly to Excel One carbonless paper for laser-compatible 2 part sets.
Straight-Collated vs. Reverse-Collated: Which Do You Need?
This is the most common point of confusion in carbonless purchasing, and ordering the wrong collation means your forms will not transfer correctly. Reverse-collated paper, also called pre-collated, ships with sheets already assembled in the correct CB-over-CF order. You load the set into your press, print, and the image transfers from the coated back of the top sheet down to the coated front of the sheet below. This is the correct configuration for commercial offset, digital, and laser press workflows, and it is what the vast majority of shops need.
Straight-collated paper has the coated surfaces positioned on the same side of each sheet. It is used when individual plies are printed separately and sets are assembled by hand after press, a format seen in some cut-sheet digital workflows and post-press numbering operations. All of our standard 2 part carbonless listings are reverse-collated unless noted otherwise. If you need straight-collated single sheets or a non-standard assembly, call us directly.
Available Sizes and Bulk Quantities
Our 2 part carbonless paper ships in commercial quantities built for print shop volume. Standard letter size at 8.5 x 11 ships in 2,500-set cartons. Legal size at 8.5 x 14 also ships in 2,500-set cartons. Tabloid format at 11 x 17 ships in 1,250-set cartons. Pre-perforated stock is available in 9 x 11 PERF and 8.5 x 11.5 PERF, both in 10-ream quantities for stub-style and fan-apart form production.
Need a custom sheet size, a non-standard ream count, or a stock not currently shown in the catalog? Submit a purchase request through the site or call 860-516-6393. We maintain supplier relationships that go well beyond the listed inventory if the product exists, we can typically get it to you.
Where to Buy 2 Part Carbonless Paper: Shipping and Availability
Most products at Printing Supplies Direct ship the same or next business day via UPS Ground, with coverage across the 48 contiguous states. We track every order and stay in contact with customers through fulfillment, not as policy, but because that is the standard we hold ourselves to.
We are a distributor with real supplier relationships and real technical support, available on-site if needed. That is a meaningful difference from commodity paper resellers who list the same SKUs without the ability to advise, source off-catalog, or troubleshoot press compatibility. For bulk orders, procurement accounts, or products not in our current catalog, we handle those requests directly. Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada require a direct shipping quote before ordering. International shipments are not available, but we ship to U.S.-based freight forwarders.
We also carry specialty papers beyond the carbonless category. If your shop produces fine art, photographic, or archival work alongside commercial form printing, explore our fine art dual sided paper and fine art canvas paper collections.
Ready to Order or Need Help Choosing?
Our team knows carbonless paper in detail. If you need a spec sheet, a press compatibility recommendation, a sample, or a product not currently in the catalog, call us at 860-516-6393 or email info@printingsuppliesdirect.com. We respond fast and will make sure you get the right product the first time.
Explore the full Printing Supplies Direct catalog, or go directly to 3 part carbonless paper if your job calls for three-copy sets.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Part Carbonless Paper
