Cardstock in Paper

Cardstock

Cardstock is stronger and thicker than your typical copy paper. A cardstock's weight refers to the thickness of the paper, which you may see indicated by the pound or grams per square meter (GSM). Lighter cardstock lends itself well to mailers, while heavy cardstock is best for business cards.

Choose from a variety of cardstock surfaces as well, such as matte, glossy and patterned. Matte options work well with pigment and dye inks, especially when it comes to making greeting cards. Avoid using pigment ink on glossy cardstock since it isn't absorbent. Scrapbookers make good use of patterned cardstock, which has a design on one side or both.

Cardstock typically comes cut in a square of either 6, 8 or 12 inches. However, you can also find cardstock in a standard 8.5x11 size as well.