Industry processes, such as printing, subjects paperboard to rapid, Z-directional compression. However, measuring and evaluating the relevant properties in the thickness direction are not necessarily straight forward or easy. Measuring at relevant, millisecond, deformation rates complicate the problem further. The aim of the present work is to elucidate on some of the influences on the compressive stiffness. Both the initial material response and the overall compressibility of the paperboard is studied. In this project the effect on the material response from the surface structure and the millisecond time-scale recovery is explored. The method utilized is a machine called the Rapid ZD-tester. The device drops a probe in free fall on the substrate and records the probe-position, thus acquiring the deformation of the substrate. To investigate the time dependent stiffness behavior the probe is dropped several times at the same xy-position on the paperboard from different heights, thus achieving different impact velocities. The probe is also allowed to bounce several times on the surface before lifted for consecutive drops. The drop-bounce cycle allows study of the short-term recovery of the material. The material in the study is commercial paperboard. The paperboard samples are compared to material where the surface has been smoothed by grinding it. Our study shows that there is a non-permanent reduction in thickness and a stiffening per bounce of the probe, indicating a compaction that has not recovered in the millisecond timescale. Additionally, a higher impact velocity has an initial stiffening effect on the paperboards, and that this is reduced by smoothing the surface.