Desk pad

A desk pad, sometimes called a desk mat or a blotter, is a table protector used when work such as painting or writing would otherwise damage the table or desk.

Description

Typical sizes for desk pads are A3 and A2. Desk pads are very popular promotional products, usually branded with a logo, contact information and product or service information.
Desk pads are typically glued at the foot of the pad to prevent the paper from curling. Many are glued to a grey backboard. They can contain from 10 to 100 sheets, although 50 sheets is standard.

Cultural variation

Different desk pads have specific uses; for example, Chinese calligraphy uses a black velour desk pad since Chinese calligraphy is written using an ink brush. Westerners use simpler writing pads with disposable paper surfaces that can be used for writing, note-taking, and scribbling. Often these pads are pre-printed with calendar pages; however, desk pads made of material which serve to be written on and act as mouse pads are also common.