What is cardstock paper?

Cardstock weights

Cardstock is sold as cover weight. The pound number is the weight of 500 sheets of the base size, so compare in gsm when two stocks list different scales.

Cardstock vs regular paper

Everyday copy paper is 20 lb bond, about 75 gsm. Cardstock starts at more than twice that weight. It holds its shape, stands up in a display rack, survives the mail, and shows far less through from the other side.

Between the two sits text weight paper, 60 to 100 lb text. That is what flyers and brochures print on. It is heavier than copy paper but still folds cleanly.

Coated and uncoated cardstock

Coated cardstock has a gloss or matte coating that makes photos and color look sharp. Uncoated cardstock has a natural, slightly rough feel and takes pen and pencil well, which is why greeting cards and invitations often use it. A coated card is hard to write on with a ballpoint.

Specialty cardstocks add texture, like linen or felt, or a soft-touch lamination that feels smooth, almost velvety.

Can I print cardstock at home?

Many home and office printers take light cardstock, but most list a maximum paper weight in the manual. Heavier cardstock can jam, smear, or feed crooked. Feeding one sheet at a time through the manual or rear tray helps, since that path bends the sheet less.

For business cards, postcards and invitations in any quantity, a print shop prints on larger sheets of cardstock and cuts them to size, so the edges come out clean and the color stays consistent across the run.

Cardstock at our shop

The Printing House in Encino prints business cards on 14pt matte, 16pt gloss or uncoated cotton stock, and postcards on 14pt gloss or matte card. You can feel the samples at the counter on Ventura Boulevard. Files in by 10 AM are usually ready by 3:30 PM the same day, with a PDF proof first.