Stationery Paper Thickness and Weight
tiny*prints offers most designs in three main paper types described as 100 lb White Matte Cardstock, 110 lb White Matte Cardstock and 110 lb White Smooth Matte Cardstock. Each of the three tiny*prints paper weight and types is described below: - 100 lb White Matte Cardstock = Heavy weight thickness with a matte finish that feels uncoated to the touch, defined as true fine stationery cardstock
- 110 lb White Matte Cardstock = Extra heavy weight thickness with a matte finish that feels uncoated to the touch, defined as true fine stationery cardstock
- 110 lb White Smooth Matte Cardstock = Extra heavy weight thickness with a matte finish, defined as true fine stationery cardstock, that is coated with a non-gloss protective coating for extra durability, ideal for large format folded cards. Please note, if you would like to write inside your folded cards, we recommend using a ballpoint stick pen or a Sharpie. Please be careful when using a gel pen, rollerball pen, felt-tip pen, or any other liquid-ink based pens as there is a tendency for the ink to smudge if it is not completely dry.
Please see below for actual measurements and definitions of heavy weight and extra heavy weight card stock.
When you hold a greeting card in your hand, you can feel how heavy and yet how subtly delicate the card is. The weight of the paper is an imperceptible, yet critical attribute of any high quality stationery. Thickness and weight are very important to the appropriate theme and tone you want associated with your event.
If your announcement or invitation is printed on paper that is too light and thin, you run the risk of someone thinking you printed it off your inkjet printer! And while there are occasions for do-it-yourself publishing, an occasion as special as the arrival of your newborn or an invitation to a special event deserves the highest quality material so that your friends and family can keep it forever. When your recipients open the envelopes to find a beautifully designed announcement or invitation on high quality card stock, they immediately associate elegance, class and style with the special occasion.
The terminology behind measuring the weight of paper is complex and confusing. There are two basic systems in use:
1) the U.S. system which denotes the weight in pounds (#)
2) the Metric system which indicates the weight in grams / meter square (g/m²).
As you would expect, the U.S. system is more complex because different types of paper (text, card stock, etc.) use different size standards for measuring weight, whereas the metric system uses standard square meters to determine weight across all kinds of papers. A less commonly used metric for thickness is Caliper, which is a measure of paper thickness expressed in thousandths of an inch.
Arranged from Lightest to Heaviest Papers
| Paper Example |
Pound |
Metric |
| Translucent Vellum paper |
17# text |
64 g/m² |
| Copy Paper |
20# text |
75 g/m² |
| Linen Paper (common in resumes) |
70# text |
104 g/m² |
| Index Card |
110# text |
200 g/m² |
| Linen Card Stock |
80# card stock |
216 g/m² |
| High Quality stationery |
100# card stock |
264 g/m² |
When we describe the weight of the paper, we use the following weight categories to help you understand the weight and thickness of the paper.
Tiny Prints Definition
|
Pound |
Metric |
Extra Light Weight
|
<110# text |
<200 g/m² |
Light Weight
|
110# text |
200 g/m² |
Medium Weight
|
80# card stock |
216 g/m² |
Heavy Weight
|
100# card stock |
264 g/m² |
| Extra Heavy Weight |
>=110# card stock
|
>=300 g/m² |
|
