Carbonless Forms Glossary - Duplicate, Triplicate, Pads and Books

If you’re ordering NCR (carbonless) forms, you’ll often see terms like duplicate, triplicate, pads, books, and sets. They’re simple once you know what they mean – this glossary explains the common wording so you can spec the right format first time.

Carbonless forms (often called NCR forms) are multi-part printed forms that create copies as you write on the top sheet. They’re used for things like delivery notes, job sheets, invoices, vehicle checks, waste transfer notes, and order pads.

People often order them as duplicate pads or triplicate pads when they want easy tear-out sets, or as duplicate booksand triplicate books when they need a bound format that’s easier to control, store, and track over time.

You might also see:

• Carbonless printing – another way of saying NCR printing
• Carbonless paper – the coated paper used to transfer the copy between sheets

Duplicate means 2-part NCR – one top sheet and one copy underneath.

Common ways people ask for it:

• Duplicate pads

• Duplicate books

• 2-part NCR pads

• 2-part NCR books

• 2-part carbonless forms

Typical use: one copy for the customer, one copy for your records.

Triplicate means 3-part NCR – one top sheet and two copies underneath.

Common ways people ask for it:

• Triplicate pads

• Triplicate books

• 3-part NCR pads

• 3-part NCR books

• 3-part carbonless forms

Typical use: customer copy, office copy, driver/engineer copy.

Pads are glued at one edge and usually come with a loose set per use. You write on the top sheet and tear out the whole set.

Books are usually bound (often with a wrap-around cover) and can be numbered, with perforations so copies stay together until torn out.

If someone says:

• “We need NCR pads” – they often mean quick tear-out sets

• “We need NCR books” – they often mean bound, numbered, perforated sets for better control

A set is one complete form (top sheet plus copies).
Parts refers to how many sheets are in each set.

Examples:

• 2-part set = duplicate

• 3-part set = triplicate

• 4-part set = quadruplicate (less common, but used in some sectors)

Most carbonless forms use a simple colour order so everyone knows which copy is which.

Common sequences:

• 2-part: white + yellow (or white + pink)

• 3-part: white + pink + yellow (sometimes white + yellow + pink)

If you’re not sure, you can just say “standard colours” and specify what each copy is for.

In day-to-day use, yes.

People search and ask using different phrases:

• NCR forms

• Carbonless forms

• Carbonless printing

• Carbonless pads / carbonless books

• NCR printing UK (or local variants)

They’re usually all describing the same product type – multi-part carbonless paper forms.

Two practical add-ons that get mentioned a lot:

• Numbering – sequential numbers printed on each set (useful for tracking)

• Perforations – a tear line so the set comes out cleanly without ripping

If you’re ordering books for controlled documents (site records, compliance checks, waste notes, delivery paperwork), these often matter.

Different people use different wording for the same thing, so these are often identical requests:

• Duplicate pad = 2-part NCR pad = 2-part carbonless pad
• Duplicate book = 2-part NCR book = 2-part carbonless book
• Triplicate pad = 3-part NCR pad = 3-part carbonless pad
• Triplicate book = 3-part NCR book = 3-part carbonless book
• Carbonless form printing = NCR form printing

If you can answer these, you’ve basically written the spec:

1. Do you need 2-part (duplicate) or 3-part (triplicate)?
2. Do you want pads (quick tear-out) or books (bound, often numbered)?
3. What size – A4, A5, DL, or something custom?
4. Do you need numbering and perforations?