A Visual Guide To Mylar Sizes | The Comic Book Forum (2024)

This is an excellent guide originally posted by mschmidt on the CGC message boards on 08/28/09.

LINK To Original Post By mschmidt

Seeing that this question seems to show up in every single "what supplies should I be using?"-thread on these boards, I figured it was about time to show the visual differences between the various sizes of E Gerber mylar that can be purchased from board member Hotflips or E Gerber themselves.

A couple of notes:

- Mylites, Mylites2 and Archives are the same size across product numbers, the only difference between them is the weight (Mylites2 are twice the thickness of Mylites, Archives are twice the thickness of Mylites2) and the fact that the Archives are open at the top & have a 7/8" flap that cannot be folded over.

- For this guide I'll be focusing on the 5 primary comic book sizes: Current (700), Standard (725), Silver/Gold (775), Gold (800), and Super Gold (825). The number in parantheses refers to the width of the product group - for instance all Gold-sized Mylites, Mylites2, and Archives are 8" wide. The height amongst these product groups never changes, however - it's always 10.5".

- Picking out half-backs or full-backs for these mylars is easy - simply choose a half-back or full-back one size smaller than the mylar itself. For instance, the 700 half-back or full-back fits inside the 725 mylar.

- I picked three random books to show inside the mylars: a Sandman #8 (modern book), a Daredevil #64 (silver age book), and a Black Terror #11 (golden age book), so feel free to ignore whatever doesn't apply to your specific collecting focus.

- Yes, it annoys me as well that it's "Mylites2s" instead of "Mylite2s", but that's just how it is.

- (Current) 700M2 and (Standard) 725M2 mylars are the only two sizes that will fit in a regular comic book box and a drawerbox - for all other sizes, you'll need to either use the E Gerber acid-free comic book boxes (which are wider than a regular comic book box), Magazine-sized boxes or CGC-sized boxes.

Anyway ... on with the show - all scans have been cropped & resized to the same aspect ratio, so the mylar sizing differences should be obvious across the images.

Modern book inside a Mylites2:

For a modern book, my preferred size is the (Standard) 725M2 - it doesn't fit too tight, and can be used for BA and SA books as well. Stay clear of the (Current) 700M2 size - it's way too small for anything other than books printed within the last 10-15 years, and it just doesn't make sense to spend money on a mylar that only fits one very specific type of book.

SA book inside a Mylites2:

In a pinch, the SA book will fit inside a (Standard) 725M2 mylar, but I much prefer the larger sizes. A SA book will not fit inside a (Current) 700M2 mylar.

GA book inside a Mylites2:

My favorite here is the (Super Gold) 825M2 mylar - it takes oversize indies (like Cerebus #1) as well. A GA book will not fit inside anything smaller than a (Silver/Gold) 775M2 mylar, and even that feels a bit too tight for my liking.

Modern book inside an Archive:

Archives are open at the top, so make sure you stock up on E Gerber's grey acid-free boxes to store them in - I personally don't use Archives by themselves at all, only in combination with a Mylite or Mylite2 (the popular double-bagging combo).

Seeing that Archives are a fair bit thicker than Mylites2 (which translates to a tighter fit around the book), you have to be much more careful sliding the books in & out - the reason I'm not attaching a scan of the (Current) 700R size below is because I was worried I'd damage my modern book trying to get it in there. Even the (Standard) 725R size seems too tight here because of the increased thickness.

SA book inside an Archive:

The SA book barely fits inside the (Standard) 725R mylar - I wouldn't recommend using it like this.

GA book inside an Archive:

The GA book barely fits inside the (Silver/Gold) 775R mylar - just like with the Mylites2, I much prefer the versatile (Super Gold) 825R size here.

Combos

For more expensive books in my collection, I bust out the double-bagging Mylite+Archive or Mylites2+Archive combos - one combo for modern books, one combo for SA books.

I've found that when you're doing combos there's really no need to use full-backs - half-backs will do just fine because you're doubling up the bag (you put one half-back in the inner bag next to the book, and one half-back in the outer bag for support). I also like using Mylites instead of Mylites2 - I find the Mylites too flimsy to use by themselves, but inside an Archive they work great.

Of the SA combos below, my favorite is the one that uses the Mylites2 (Gold) 800M2 and the Archive (Super Gold) 825R.

A tip: When you're using a combo, put the book inside the Mylite or Mylites2 with the flap at the bottom of the book - it makes it a lot easier to slide it in & out of the Archive.

CGC Bags

For CGC slabs you have a couple of different options:

[/b] fit a slab pretty well and look amazing, but are relatively pricey. Transplant also mentioned that due to their size & stiffness when put in a regular CGC box, they "make the box bow out some". He suggested using CGC Magazine-sized boxes instead.

[*] E Gerber, unfortunately, doesn't carry Mylites in the Legal Size, but Bill Cole Enterprises have 1 mil Mylar Arklites that are sized specifically for CGC slabs. Bill Cole & E Gerber share the same Mylar patent, so Arklites are completely identical to Mylites. Bill Cole products are horribly overpriced, though, so 50 CGC 1 mil Arklites actually cost more than 50 Legal Size Mylites2 (even though the Mylites2 are twice as thick).

[*] A lot of board members swear by the Hotflips CGC Flip-n-stick bags which are clear polybags with a reseable flap.

[*] Another option would be the Bags Unlimited resealable CGC bags which are very similar to the Hotflips Flip-n-stick bags; it seems like the Hotflips bags are clearer & cheaper, though.
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