Diplomas are printed on heavy specialty stock, usually a parchment style sheet, a cotton sheet, or a cover weight card. Sizes run from 8 by 10 inches to 17 by 23 inches depending on the school and the degree, so there is no single sheet that matches every diploma.
The paper makers publish the numbers. Neenah lists its ASTROPARCHE parchment line at “60 lb. Text; 65 lb. Cover” and names “announcements, certificates, diplomas, menus, posters” as its uses. Southworth sells parchment sheets for certificates and awards at 24 lb, 32 lb and 65 lb, all at 8.5 by 11 inches, labeled “Acid and Lignin-Free.” Rice University is one of the few registrars that names its own stock in public, calling it “archival-quality parchment paper.”
This guide covers the three stocks schools and commercial printers use, the weights the makers publish, the diploma sizes registrars list, what a certificate uses, and what a home printer can handle. The step by step settings for the print itself are in the guide to printing a diploma.
What paper are real diplomas usually printed on?
Three stocks cover most of what is sold and used for diplomas.
- Parchment style paper, a mottled sheet with a vellum finish. Neenah sells ASTROPARCHE in aged, ancient gold, blue, gray, natural and white vellum, and lists diplomas among its stated uses
- Cotton paper, sold by fiber content instead of by finish. Southworth lists 100 percent cotton sheets at 24 lb and 32 lb
- Cover weight card, the heaviest of the three. Neenah lists ASTROPARCHE at 65 lb. Cover, and Southworth sells parchment at 65 lb
Registrar pages rarely name the stock. Most describe size, seal and signatures and leave the paper unstated, which is why the printable detail comes from the makers. Rice is the exception, and its wording, “archival-quality parchment paper,” matches what the parchment lines are sold as.
What size is diploma paper?
There is no standard diploma size. Registrars publish their own dimensions, and several print one size for undergraduate degrees and a larger one for professional or doctoral degrees.
| School | Degree | Size the registrar publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Penn State | Associate, bachelor, master’s, doctoral | 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. |
| Penn State | Medical | 14 in. x 17 in. |
| Penn State | Law | 17 in. x 14 in. |
| University of Washington | All degrees except two | 8.5 by 11 inches |
| University of Washington | Juris Doctor, Master of Laws in Taxation | 11 by 14 inches |
| Seattle University | Undergraduate and graduate | 8.5 x 11 inches, landscape orientation |
| Seattle University | Doctoral | 11 x 14 inches, landscape orientation |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison | All diplomas | 8 by 10 inches |
| Rice University | All degrees since November 1, 2017 | 17 inches wide by 23 inches tall |
The spread runs from 8 by 10 inches at Wisconsin to 17 by 23 inches at Rice. Paper bought for one school will not fit another, and neither will the frame. Rice also sells a facsimile diploma at “8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall,” which is a letter size version of a sheet that leaves the press at 17 by 23.
Measure the original, or ask the registrar, before buying either paper or a frame.
The most important things to consider when choosing diploma paper
Four properties decide how a printed sheet turns out.
Paper weight
Weight is printed on every ream, and the number only means something next to the scale it uses. Text, bond and cover pounds are three different scales, so a 65 lb cover sheet is heavier in the hand than a 65 lb text sheet.
Neenah lists ASTROPARCHE at “60 lb. Text; 65 lb. Cover.” Southworth sells parchment for certificates and awards at 24 lb, 32 lb and 65 lb. Those four numbers cover most of what is sold for diplomas and certificates, and any weight claim outside that range is worth checking against the maker’s own page.
Paper finish
Finish changes the look more than most people expect. A parchment sheet carries a mottled, slightly aged pattern that plain copy paper has no version of.
Neenah states that ASTROPARCHE papers are “guaranteed to perform in laser and ink jet printers and high speed copiers” and that they perform “well with specialty presses such as foil stamping and die cutting.” Southworth describes its parchment sheets as suited to “certificates, invitations, announcements and other impressive forms” and lists printer compatibility as “laser, inkjet, copier.”
Color
Parchment stock is sold in warm shades instead of bright white. Southworth’s parchment line comes in ivory, gold, gray and copper. Neenah’s ASTROPARCHE vellum shades are aged, ancient gold, blue, gray, natural and white.
Ivory and natural are the closest match to the stock the makers market for diplomas and awards.
Acid-free and lignin-free quality
A sheet that will hang in a frame for decades is worth putting on archival stock. The National Archives tells families to keep paper below 75 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity below 65 percent, and to store documents in containers “made of board or folder stock that is lignin-free and acid-free or buffered.”
Southworth labels its parchment sheets “Acid and Lignin-Free,” which applies that same property to the sheet instead of the folder around it. Rice calls the stock it prints on “archival-quality parchment paper.” Both point at the same shopping rule, which is to read the label for the words acid free and lignin free.
Best paper choices for DIY diploma printing
Three options, in order of how hard they are on a home printer.
- Easiest, 24 lb parchment. Southworth sells it at 8.5 by 11 inches, acid and lignin free, rated for laser, inkjet and copier
- Middle, 32 lb parchment or 32 lb cotton. Southworth lists both at letter size
- Heaviest, 65 lb parchment or the 65 lb cover weight Neenah lists for ASTROPARCHE. Check the printer manual first
The limit is usually the printer instead of the paper. Every machine publishes a maximum media weight and a tray that accepts it, often a single sheet rear feed. Run one sheet before running a batch, and compare weights on the same scale, because a cover pound and a bond pound are not the same measurement.
A workable DIY sheet is acid free, ivory or natural rather than bright white, rated for the printer on hand, and heavy enough to feel formal without jamming the feed.
What paper are certificates printed on?
Certificate stock and diploma stock are the same products. Neenah names “announcements, certificates, diplomas, menus, posters” for ASTROPARCHE, and Southworth sells its parchment sheets for “certificates, invitations, announcements and other impressive forms.” The weights are the same 24 lb to 65 lb range.
Certificate size is more predictable than diploma size. Seattle University lists its certificates at “8.5 x 11 inches (landscape orientation),” the same size as its undergraduate and graduate diplomas. Letter size stock fits most certificate templates and most off the shelf frames, which is covered in the guide to displaying certificates on a wall.
Why design matters almost as much as paper
Paper alone does not make a sheet look like a diploma. The finished documents combine stock with several things a printer adds afterward.
- Decorative borders
- An institutional seal
- Foil stamping
- Embossing
- Formal typefaces
- Signatures and a dateline
Foil stamping and die cutting are press operations. Neenah lists them as specialty press work that ASTROPARCHE handles well, which is a different machine from the one on a desk at home. Penn State states that its diplomas carry “the official University Seal, as well as the signatures of the current President of the Board of Trustees, University President, and Executive Vice President and Provost,” so signatures change over time even on reissued documents. Seals have their own rules, covered in the guide to diploma seals.
When a printing service makes more sense
A home printer can put ink on a good sheet. It cannot emboss, foil stamp, or trim to 17 by 23 inches, and it stops at the media weight in its manual. A commercial printer does all three, which is one reason finished diplomas arrive at a registrar’s office instead of being run off inside it.
ValidGrad prints replica diplomas and certificates as novelty items for display. They are not issued by a school, they do not answer a verification request, and they do not stand in for a credential. The terms of service set out what is allowed. For a display copy on diploma stock, the diploma maker handles the sheet, the size and the finishing.
The best practical advice
For a home print run.
- Choose acid free, lignin free parchment or cotton stock in ivory or natural
- Start at 24 lb, the weight Southworth sells for certificates and awards
- Move up to 32 lb or 65 lb only if the printer manual allows that media weight
- Match the sheet size to the school, since registrars publish anything from 8 by 10 to 17 by 23 inches
- Test the layout on plain paper before the first specialty sheet goes through
For a finished result.
- Use a printer that offers foil stamping, embossing and trimming, since those are press operations
- Give the printer the exact dimensions, because the size varies by school and by degree
- Store the result below 75 degrees Fahrenheit and under 65 percent relative humidity, as the National Archives advises
Common questions about diploma paper
What kind of paper is a diploma printed on?
Parchment style stock, cotton stock, or a cover weight card. Rice University describes its own diplomas as printed on “archival-quality parchment paper,” and Neenah and Southworth both market parchment and cotton sheets for diplomas, certificates and awards.
What is diploma paper called?
It is sold as parchment paper, or as parchment vellum. Neenah’s line is ASTROPARCHE and Southworth’s is Parchment Paper. Cotton sheets are sold by fiber content, such as 100 percent cotton. The word parchment on a modern ream describes a finish, not animal skin.
Are college diplomas a standard size?
No. Penn State prints associate through doctoral diplomas at 8 1/2 by 11 inches and medical diplomas at 14 by 17. The University of Washington uses 8.5 by 11 with 11 by 14 for two law degrees. Wisconsin uses 8 by 10 inches, and Rice prints at 17 by 23.
How thick should diploma paper be?
The published range for this kind of stock runs from 24 lb to 65 lb. Southworth sells parchment at 24 lb, 32 lb and 65 lb, and Neenah lists ASTROPARCHE at 60 lb text and 65 lb cover. The ceiling for a home print is whatever media weight the printer manual allows.
Does diploma paper need to be acid free?
For anything meant to last, yes. The National Archives recommends lignin free and acid free or buffered materials for storing documents, along with temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity below 65 percent. Southworth labels its parchment sheets acid and lignin free.
The main points
- Diplomas are printed on parchment style paper, cotton paper, or cover weight card, and Rice University names “archival-quality parchment paper” as its stock
- Published weights for this stock run 24 lb, 32 lb, 60 lb text and 65 lb cover
- There is no standard size. Registrars publish 8 by 10, 8.5 by 11, 11 by 14, 14 by 17 and 17 by 23 inches
- Certificate stock is the same product as diploma stock, usually at letter size
- Acid free and lignin free stock is the baseline for anything that will be framed and kept
- Foil, embossing and oversize trimming are press operations that a home printer cannot reproduce
Sources
- Neenah, ASTROPARCHE Papers, basis weights, vellum shades, stated uses including diplomas, printer and specialty press performance. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Southworth, Parchment Paper Ivory, 65 lb., weight, 8.5 by 11 sheet size, acid and lignin free, printer compatibility, stated uses. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Southworth, Parchment Paper Ivory, 24 lb., the entry weight for parchment stock. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Southworth, Parchment Paper Ivory, 32 lb., the middle weight for parchment stock. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Southworth, 100% Cotton Ivory, 32 lb., cotton sheets sold by fiber content at 24 lb and 32 lb. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Penn State Office of the University Registrar, diploma dimensions by degree level, seal and signatures. Checked September 14, 2026.
- University of Washington Office of the University Registrar, 8.5 by 11 inches with 11 by 14 for two law degrees. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Seattle University Office of the Registrar, diploma and certificate sizes with orientation. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Rice University Office of the Registrar, archival quality parchment stock, 17 by 23 inch diploma, 8.5 by 11 facsimile. Checked September 14, 2026.
- University of Wisconsin, Madison Office of the Registrar, 8 by 10 inch diploma paper. Checked September 14, 2026.
- National Archives, How to Preserve Family Archives, temperature and humidity limits and lignin free, acid free or buffered storage materials. Checked September 14, 2026.