When using a third party printer, VotingWorks recommends printing ballots on paper between 38# Bond (140 GSM) - 65# Cover (177 GSM) for the best voter experience. The commonly available paper weights in this range are:
38# Bond (140 GSM)
100# Text (140 GSM)
40# Bond (150 GSM)
60# Cover (162 GSM)
90# Index (162 GSM)
120# Text (177 GSM)
65# Cover (177 GSM)
Ballot Printing On-Demand (In-House)
When printing ballots on-demand using supplied HP printers, VotingWorks suggests printing ballots on 40# Bond (150 GSM) and specifically recommends HP 40# Project Paper for use with these printers. Heavier paper is most important for printing of precinct hand-marked paper ballots for an improved voter experience inserting ballots into VxScan and to reduce the rates of paper jams.
The following alternative common off-the-shelf paper weights are suitable for absentee ballot or ballot-marking device ballot printing on-demand:
Note: printing of paper heavier than 32# Bond (120 GSM) requires use of either the HP454dn printer or Tray 1 on the HP404dn or HP404n printers.
Toner Cartridges
The HP printers for both VxMark and VxAdmin use toner cartridge 58. HP offers two sizes:
​HP 58A - regular size, prints approximately 3000 pages
​HP 58X - high yield, prints approximately 10000 pages
USB Drive Recommendations and Compatibility
While our system does not require a particular type of USB drive, some USB drives will not work because of how they are formatted. Drives must be in a FAT format.
There are a handful of USB drive models that we have tested and recommend to customers. We selected them because they work with our system, have reputable manufacturers, and can be bought at a reasonable price. You don't need more than 8GB in size, but for most of our recommended models the minimum you can buy is 16GB.