NCR Form

What is an NCR form?

NCR (no carbon required) or carbonless forms, like the name suggests, have eliminated the need for carbon paper between sheets to create multiple copies of the same form. The paper is chemically treated to transfer the impression from the first page to the subsequent pages with very little pressure. (For those of you who are scientifically inclined, the bottom side of carbonless NCR paper is coated with micro-encapsulated dye that breaks when pressed. The top of the second sheet is coated with clay that reacts with the dye to form a permanent mark. When the top sheet is written on, the pressure causes the micro-capsules to break and release the dye.)

NCR form example

What are NCR and carbonless forms used for?

NCR forms have a myriad of uses with some of the most common being invoices, statements, purchase orders, contracts, work orders, applications and receipts where multiple copies are needed for customers, sales people, accounting, agents, mechanics, workers, etc.

Common NCR sizes

Standard sizes for NCR forms are half page (5.5″ x 8.5″), full page (8.5″ x 11″) and legal (8.5″ x 14″) although custom sizes can be ordered to meet your specific need. The design orientation can be either vertical or horizontal. The link below gives you access to design templates that can be used to lay out your form in the appropriate size and orientation.

Parts are pages

NCR forms are available in a number of pages, referred to as parts, ranging from 2 to 6 parts depending upon your need.

Color sequence of multipart NCR forms

NCR form color sequence

2-part carbonless: white/yellow

3-part carbonless: white/yellow/pink

4-part carbonless: white/yellow/pink/gold

5-part carbonless: white/green/yellow/pink/gold

6-part carbonless: white/blue/green/yellow/pink/gold

Ink Options

Carbonless forms can be printed on one side or two. Typically the front side includes the company logo and contact information as well as the form. The back side can be used for legal information or detailed instructions. NCR forms can be printed in a variety of ink formats from black only to full-color, or even with custom PMS or spot colors to match your corporate branding. You can specify different ink options for the front and the back of the form.

Binding Options

NCR forms can be ordered loose, padded, or bound into a booklet, a common practice for invoices or receipts.

NCR forms can be padded in sets of 25, 50 or 100 and come with a chip board backing.

Receipt Books and Invoice Books

NCR booklets for receipt forms and invoice forms are very handy as a copy of the form can be easily torn from the booklet and given to the customer, while leaving a copy in the booklet for the business. Pages are perforated for easy removal. A sturdy cover wrap maintains the booklet’s integrity and can be inserted between forms to prevent transfer when completing the form.

invoice book functionality

Numbering

NCR forms can be numbered for essential record-keeping. Just specify red or black ink and the starting number and all forms will be numbered sequentially. Learn more about sequential numbering.

Customizable NCR Form Templates

For your convenience we have developed preformatted templates for the most commonly used business forms – invoices or receipts, statements, purchase orders and work orders. These free templates are available in either Word or Publisher. Just add your company logo and contact information and we can print your custom forms in no time. Or, if you’d like, we can do it for you. Just give us a call.