
Cardstock is typically classified by weight, measured in pounds (lbs) per 1000 sheets of paper. Cardstock weight ranges from around 65 lbs (thinnest cardstock) to 110 lbs (thickest cardstock). Cardstock can also be measured by GSM (grams per square meter). GSM refers to the actual weight of the cardstock sheet itself.
- Check the points on the card stock label -- you may find a card stock point abbreviated as "pt." Every point equals . 001 inch. ...
- Divide the points by 1,000 to find the thickness or caliper. ...
- Convert cover weight to points if the card stock label lists cover weight.
What weight is card stock?
What Weight Is Cardstock?
- Weight. Pound (lb.) is the measurement of weight for paper. ...
- Thickness. Point (pt.) is the measurement used to describe the thickness of card stock in thousandths of an inch.
- Grade. Paper comes in many finishes such as metallic. ...
- Ranges. Card stock ranges from 60 to 130 pound. ...
- Considerations. Postage will change based on carad stock weight. ...
What is 80lb card stock like?
This question is especially tricky to answer over the Internet, so bear with me:
- For reference: most postcards are printed in 100 lb cover or thicker (i.e. 14 pt cardstock is thicker than 100 lb cover)
- 80 lb cover feels like a thin cardstock
- 100 lb cover feels more like a “regular” cardstock
How thick is card stock?
- 74 Lb Cover (200 Gsm) (2)
- 120 Lb Cover (325 Gsm) (2)
- 126 Lb Cover (341 Gsm) (5)
- 130 Lb Cover (352 Gsm) (6)
- 160 Lb Cover (433 Gsm) (1)
- 165 Lb Cover (446 Gsm) (2)
- 200 Lb Cover + (4)
What is the difference between cover stock and card stock?
The Process
- The fiber blend is dispersed from an opening at the bottom of the headbox – a storage container at the start of the paper-making machine
- Blend flows onto a wire – a wide, flat, porous moving screen
- Water drains from the bottom of the wire, while fibers form into a cohesive sheet above

How can I tell what weight my cardstock is?
So, if 500 sheets of uncut cardstock weigh 65 lbs, it's called 65 lb stock. Point is calculated by the thousandths of an inch thickness of sheets of paper. A sheet of paper 0.010 inches thick is 10 pt cardstock, 0.015 inches thick is 15 pt cardstock, etc....How Paper Weight is MeasuredBy pounds (lbs)By point.By density.
What is the weight of cardstock?
Cardstock weight ranges from around 65 lbs (thinnest cardstock) to 110 lbs (thickest cardstock). Cardstock can also be measured by GSM (grams per square meter). GSM refers to the actual weight of the cardstock sheet itself. There are several commonly sized sheets that cardstock paper can be cut into.
What does 110 lb cardstock mean?
So 500 sheets of 65 lb cardstock weigh 65 pounds, while 110 lb cardstock has 500 sheets weighing in at 110 pounds.
What does 80 lb cardstock mean?
January 21, 2015. 80 lb card stock is a type of paper that is usually thicker and stronger than most common printing paper. It is also referred to by names like “pasteboard,” “paper stock,” or “paperboard”. At Printivity, we generally refer to “80 lb card stock” as 80 lb cover.
How do you determine the weight of paper?
Paper weight doesn't refer to the individual sheets of cut paper themselves. Instead, it is determined by how much a ream of uncut paper weighs. Typically 500 sheets of paper make up a ream, and that paper is weighed before being cut down to smaller sizes (such as letter or legal).
How do you work out the weight of paper?
Another method of measuring paper weight is the metric weight, which is measured in grams. This method measures the weight of a style of paper by weighing a 1×1 meter square of the of the paper and recording the weight in grams per meter squared (g/m^2).
Which is thicker 80lb or 100lb paper?
Similarities: Finishing: These are both glossy text papers. Same Paper, Different Weight: Both are made out of the same raw materials and out to the same production equipment. So we know the 100lb paper is 25% heavier than the 80lb gloss text and therefore thicker than the 80lb paper.
What is 130lb cardstock?
8 1/2 x 11 Cardstock in 130lb. White is a bright white with a soft touch. The weight and durability of this cardstock makes it perfect for crafting, invitations, scrapbooking, business cards, mixed media application and various artistic purposes.
How thick is 100lb cover stock?
14pt thickWhat is the difference between 100 lb Text and 100 lb Cover?Paper ThicknessPaper TypeApprox. Caliper (Thickness)80lb Opaque Cover — uncoated.011″ (11pt thick)100lb Opaque Cover — uncoated.014″ (14pt thick)Gloss Coated Text Weight Paper23 more rows•Jan 6, 2022
What is 100lb stock?
100 lb cover weight/270 gsm card stock begins to get into the heavier weight card stock. The card stock weighing in at 100 lb cover is often used for flyers, signs, invitations, and invitation backings.
What is the heaviest card stock?
Light Weight - Up to 169 gsm. Medium Weight - 170-216 gsm. Heavy Weight - 217-284 gsm. Extra Heavy Weight - 285 gsm & Up.
Which is thicker 20 lb or 24 lb paper?
24lb bond paper is slightly thicker than 20lb bond, and it can fit in a standard printing machine. With 24lb bond paper, you will be able to create letters, stationary, and other printed materials for your business. Certain printed materials, such as leaflets and brochures, need to be printed on higher weight paper.
How much does cardstock weigh?
This is the weight of 500 sheets of paper measuring 20 inches by 26 inches. Generally, you can purchase this type of paper in cardstock weights ranging from 60 pounds to 110 pounds.
How heavy is cardstock?
Heavy-weight cardstock is 90 pounds or more. Higher numbers indicate a thicker and more durable paper. Thus, heavier cardstock weights will often indicate a more expensive product. The most common weight for scrapbooking cardstock is 80 pounds. This is the weight of most cover stock products from Bazzill Basics, a brand many scrapbookers prefer.
What is cardstock and patterned paper?
Cardstock and patterned paper are essential supplies for any scrapbooker. While patterned paper is usually fairly thin and decorated only on one side, cardstock is usually one solid color on both sides. However, a recent trend in scrapbooking has been to blur the lines between these two products. For example, patterned papers from BasicGrey are 65 pounds, which means they are essentially light-weight cardstock. Additionally, many of these papers are decorated on both sides instead of having a plain white back. In addition to cardstock weight, you may want to keep in mind that you can use several different types of specialty cardstock to accent your scrapbooking projects.
What weights to use for paper piecing?
Scrapbookers who like to sew on their papers often find that heavier cardstock weights work best for this technique. For paper piecing, lighter weights generally works best. A finished paper piecing has several different layers, so using lighter paper will keep your embellishment from becoming too bulky.
Can you fold a cricut with a heavy paper?
Heavier paper can still be folded, but it will be difficult to achieve a clean crease. When using a die cutting machine such as the Cricut, a medium-weight paper is the best choice. However, you may need to adjust the settings on your machine if you are making especially detailed cuts.
What Is Cardstock?
Cardstock is a thicker, heavier, and more durable type of paper. It is the best paper for card making and paper crafting. It usually has a smooth surface and can be metallic, textured, or glossy. It is sturdier and heavier than your average paper, making it perfect for various arts and crafts.
Cardstock Texture and Finishes
While it is essential to understand cardstock sizes and weights, learning about the various texture and finishes is equally essential, especially in paper crafting.
Common Cardstock Questions
Are you still confused? We’re answering some of your burning questions about everything related to cardstock weights and sizes!
Cardstock Sizes In Card Making
Each specific size caters to a different type of paper craft. The standard size for handmade cards is half of an 8 ½ inches by 11 inches card stock paper, folded in half. This is also known as an A2 size card. Although, you can always buy large thick cardstock and score or fold them according to your needs.
Cardstock Weights
GSM (Grams per Square Meter) is used to measure paper. Measurement is done from a sample sheet cut to one square meter in size. Regardless of the paper’s width or length, its weight is still measured from the square meter sheet. Thick cardstock usually has higher GSM and is, therefore, heavier and more durable than cardstock with lower GSM.
Things to Consider When Buying Cardstock
Paper is a material that we all use daily, but there are some things you want to consider when it comes to cardstock. Do you know what to look for when buying cardstock? From weight to texture, there are so many factors that go into finding the right cardstock paper.
What is a firm and heavy weight card?
It is a firm and heavy weight paper and shows importance and seriousness in your business card. It goes well with heavy ink coverage used for bold typefaces and images in good quality. It creates visual satisfaction. When you touch a thick card, it gives a valuable and lasting image for your business. If you use flimsy card stock paper, you need ...
What type of paper do you use to print business cards?
The standard is matte or glossy, but you can choose from a vary range of textures (antique, metallic, dotted, etc.) and colors. Bond Paper : It is the cheapest paper we use in printing industry.
What does it mean when you touch a thick card?
When you touch a thick card, it gives a valuable and lasting image for your business. If you use flimsy card stock paper, you need to know that is a thin and lighter weight paper. Sometimes it should means how little you care about your customers. It is cheaper.
Why is it important to have business cards?
Its a piece of your identity. So it is very important that reflects the idea of what your enterprise is about. It is an important design piece, and the senses receive that.
What is the thickness of a paper?
PAPER THICKNESS or CALIPER. As a rule of thumb, the heavier a paper is, the thicker it is. The measurement of a paper's thickness is also known as it's "Caliper". Caliper is expressed as a point size in thousandths of an inch. One point equals 1/1000 of an inch.
What happens if you print on heavy paper?
Medium Weight Paper: Ability to print is dependant on printer specifications. If the paper is too heavy for a printer, it will not feed or it will jam. Printer feed and jam issues due to thick paper is not a defect of the paper.
Paper thickness and weight comparison table
In order to better understand the different dimensions, we put the main paper thicknesses and weights in the table. You won’t find absolutely all the paper thicknesses in the table, but it will help you to understand how different dimensions correlate.
Tradicional (cellulose) and cotton paper thickness difference
Business cards, invitations, letterheads and postcards we use to print on two type of paper – pure cotton paper and traditional, premium quality, paper made of cellulose fiber. Both types of paper are very nice just they are produced differently. A traditional sheet of paper is formed with heated rollers.
Cardstock thickness and impression (deboss)
Impressed object into the paper is about 0.6mm deep. Of course, it is possible to do even deeper impression, but for this purpose specially prepared printing forms are required, the deeper debossed paper may simply not hold it and the surface will be torn because of excessive stresses.
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What is 65 lb card stock?
65 lb Cover Weight/176 gsm card stock is used in cases where you would need a lighter weight card stock. It is heavy enough to be used for post cards. It is great for layering pieces as it will not add excessive weight to an invitation or card. Paper punching, die cutting and folding is easy to do on 65 lb card stock. Printing on this light weight card stock is easily done in most home printers. Card Stock that is labeled 90 lb index weight would be very similar to a 65 lb cover weight card stock
What is a 32/80 lb envelope?
Envelopes converted from 80 lb text are much more substantial and are often used for DIY invitations, especially wedding invitations. 32/80 lb text weight envelopes are generally thick enough that consumers will only use one envelope to mail their invitation, rather than using inner and outer envelopes.
Step 1
Check the points on the card stock label -- you may find a card stock point abbreviated as "pt." Every point equals .001 inch. For example, 10 pt. card stock equals .010 inch.
Step 2
Divide the points by 1,000 to find the thickness or caliper. For example, 8 pt. card stock divided by 1,000 equals 0.008-inch thick card stock.
Step 3
Convert cover weight to points if the card stock label lists cover weight. For example, 66 lb. cover weight equals 8 pt. card stock, 80 lb. cover weight equals 10 pt. card stock and 92 lb. cover weight equals 12 pt. equals card stock.
