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Card Making Downloads, Craft Supplies, Products, and Tutorials

10Aug 2026

Cardstock weight guide for printables: GSM, pt and lb explained

Hands holding various weights of cardstock sheets

For most printable craft projects, 250–300gsm is the weight to start with. It feeds through many home printers, folds without cracking when scored, and feels substantial enough to sell. Lightweight layered pieces, tags and paper toppers sit comfortably at 160–220gsm. Premium cards, display pieces and anything structural, such as gift boxes or cake toppers, call for 350–500gsm. However, those heavier weights usually need a commercial printer or a manual single-sheet feed.

  • 160–220gsm: layered card elements, paper flowers, tags, inserts
  • 250–300gsm: greeting card bases, invitations, printable templates for sale
  • 350–500gsm: premium display cards, gift boxes, cake toppers, statement pieces

Printer compatibility at a glance: Most inkjet and laser home printers handle up to around 200–250gsm reliably through the standard paper tray. Above that, switch to the manual or rear feed slot and check your printer’s published maximum GSM rating. Many home printers struggle with cardstock at or above 300gsm; anything heavier than your machine’s stated limit is a job for a print shop.

Craftsuprint carries a wide range of printable cardstock templates and downloadable craft files sized and designed to work with these weight bands, so you can pick a design and print it straight onto your chosen stock.

Pro Tip: Always check your printer manual for its maximum GSM or paper weight rating before buying a new stock. The spec sheet usually lists it under “media specifications” or “supported paper types.”

Key takeaways

For most printable craft projects, 250–300gsm is the reliable starting weight: it feeds through most home printers, folds cleanly when scored, and meets buyer expectations for a finished card.

Point Details
Core weight range 250–300gsm suits most greeting cards, invitations and printable templates for sale.
Home printer limit Most home printers handle up to 200–250gsm reliably; use rear feed or a print shop above that.
Heavy and premium weights 350–500gsm is for display pieces, gift boxes and statement cards; usually needs commercial printing.
Test before bulk ordering Print a swatch, fold it, and check ink adhesion before committing to a full ream.
Craftsuprint templates Craftsuprint’s print-ready downloads are designed to work with standard UK cardstock weight bands.

Table of Contents

GSM, points and US lb: a quick conversion reference

GSM (grams per square metre) is the most reliable cross-brand measurement for paper weight. The US lb system is trickier because the number depends on the paper family’s basis size: cover stock lb and text stock lb are calculated differently, so 80lb cover and 80lb text are completely different weights. When a UK supplier lists GSM, you have a consistent figure you can compare across brands.

Note: pt and lb equivalents are approximations. Actual caliper thickness varies by coating and construction.

Pro Tip: Points (pt) matter most when you need a precise edge for die-cutting or a clean score line. A 12pt card holds a crease far better than a 9pt card at the same GSM, because coating and core construction affect caliper independently of weight.

What each weight band is best for in printable craft projects

Cardstock weight bands map neatly to what a project needs to do. Craft weight categories broadly fall into light (around 160–180gsm), medium (200–250gsm) and heavy (300gsm and above), with each band suited to different techniques.

Diagram comparing cardstock weight bands and uses

Light (160–180gsm) Flexible enough to curl into paper flowers or layer without adding bulk. Good for inserts, toppers and any element that sits on top of a heavier base. Too thin to stand alone as a card base.

Hands curling light cardstock into paper flowers

Medium (200–250gsm) The workhorse range for printable craft projects. Feeds reliably through most home inkjet printers, scores cleanly, and gives a decent hand feel. Suitable for birthday cards, invitations, gift tags and layered card fronts.

Hands scoring and folding medium cardstock

Heavy (300gsm and above) This is where cards start to feel genuinely premium. For many card makers, 300gsm is the practical sweet spot that balances a quality in-hand feel with reliable printing and folding. At 350gsm and above, you are into display territory: gift boxes, cake toppers, statement wedding invitations. These weights usually need a commercial printer or a rear-feed path on a home machine.

A note on finish vs GSM: Coated papers can feel denser than their GSM suggests because the coating adds mass without much thickness. Solid-core stocks avoid the white edge you get when die-cutting surface-coated card. Specialty finishes such as glitter and mirror card often sit in the 230–250gsm range but behave differently in printers and cutters; glitter stock can shed inside a machine, and mirror card scratches easily during handling.

  • Paper flowers and delicate petals: 160–180gsm
  • Layered card fronts and toppers: 180–220gsm
  • Greeting card bases, birthday and thank-you cards: 250–300gsm
  • Wedding invitations and printable templates for sale: 280–300gsm
  • Gift boxes and structural pieces: 300–350gsm
  • Premium display or statement cards: 350–500gsm

How to choose the right cardstock weight for your project

Run through these questions before you order:

  1. How will it be used? A card that sits in an envelope needs to fold cleanly. A display piece or box needs structural rigidity. Function decides the floor weight.
  2. Will it be folded or scored? Anything above 300gsm needs a bone folder and a scored line, or it will crack. Below 250gsm, scoring is helpful but less critical.
  3. Can your printer handle it? Check the manual. If the weight exceeds your printer’s maximum, plan for a print shop or a rear-feed slot at reduced speed.
  4. Is it being posted? Royal Mail’s letter and large-letter thresholds are weight-based. A 300gsm card in an envelope can tip a standard letter into large-letter pricing; test the finished item on a postal scale before printing a full run.
  5. Will it be die-cut or machine-cut? Cutting machines have mat and grip recommendations. Cricut, for example, publishes specific cardstock weight guidance and recommends light-grip mats for lighter card and strong-grip for heavier or specialty stock.
  6. Is it for sale? If you are selling finished cards, 300gsm is the baseline buyers expect for a premium product.

Red flags to watch for: Fold lines that crack without scoring (weight too heavy for your process), paper jams on the standard tray (weight above printer limit), ink that smears or takes too long to dry (insufficient drying time or wrong print setting), and excessive postage costs on a simple card run.

Test a small batch of 5–10 sheets before committing to a full ream. The cost of a sample pack is trivial compared to a wasted bulk order.

Printer compatibility and practical printing tips

Most home inkjet printers handle up to 200–250gsm through the standard paper tray without complaint. Beyond that, the feed rollers often struggle. A rear or manual feed slot bypasses the tight paper path and lets you push heavier stock through one sheet at a time.

Step-by-step for printing on cardstock at home:

  1. Set the paper type in your printer driver to “cardstock”, “heavy paper” or “thick paper”. This slows the feed and adjusts ink delivery.
  2. Use the highest print quality setting for solid colour blocks or photographic designs. Draft mode under-saturates ink and leaves banding.
  3. Feed from the rear slot for anything above 250gsm, one sheet at a time.
  4. Allow 2–3 minutes drying time per sheet before stacking. Inkjet ink on coated card smears if you stack immediately.
  5. For laser printers, check the fuser temperature setting. Some laser machines have a “thick paper” or “cardstock” mode that adjusts the fuser to bond toner properly.
  6. Score before folding, not after printing. A bone folder on a scored line gives a clean crease; folding cold card without scoring causes surface cracking at 300gsm and above.

Troubleshooting quick reference:

  • Paper jams: weight above printer limit, or feeding from the wrong tray. Switch to rear feed and reduce to one sheet at a time.
  • Ink smudging: insufficient drying time or wrong paper-type setting. Increase drying time and select “cardstock” in the driver.
  • Cockling (wavy card): too much ink on lightweight stock. Reduce ink coverage or move to a heavier base.
  • Colour looks flat: draft mode selected. Switch to high quality.

Pro Tip: Specialty finishes such as glitter, mirror and holographic card often need a commercial printer. Glitter sheds inside consumer machines and mirror card can scratch the feed rollers. Use these finishes as accent layers rather than full print surfaces where possible.

How to identify and measure existing cardstock

When a label is missing or you have inherited a stack of mystery card, these steps help you pin down the weight:

  1. Read the label first. Look for GSM, g/m², lb, pt or “cover” on the packaging. “Cover” after a lb figure means it is cover-stock lb, which is comparable to the GSM ranges in the table above. “Text” lb is a different basis and much lighter than it sounds.
  2. Do the bend test. Hold the sheet horizontally from one short edge. A 160gsm sheet droops noticeably; 250gsm holds with a slight flex; 300gsm holds firm. It is a rough guide, not a measurement.
  3. Check the edge in light. Solid-core card shows colour all the way through the cut edge. Surface-coated card shows white at the core. This tells you about construction, not GSM, but it matters for die-cutting.
  4. Use a caliper. A digital caliper (available for a few pounds from most UK craft or hardware retailers) measures thickness in millimetres. As a rough guide, 300gsm uncoated card sits around 0.40–0.45mm; coated card of the same GSM is often thinner because the coating is denser. Simple home tests including a fold/crack check and a caliper reading give useful cross-checks when GSM is not printed on the sample.
  5. Order a swatch. If you are considering a new stock from a UK supplier, request a sample pack before buying a full ream. Most UK suppliers offer swatches precisely because colour, finish and print behaviour vary between stocks at the same nominal GSM.

Where to buy UK cardstock samples and a note on sustainability

Order sample packs before you commit to bulk. Ordering swatches is a low-cost way to validate colour, finish and print behaviour before a larger run, and most UK paper suppliers provide them. Print a test design on each swatch, fold it, and check the edge before placing a full order.

Checklist for sustainable cardstock choices:

  • Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification on the packaging. This confirms the wood pulp comes from responsibly managed forests.
  • Check for recycled content percentages. Post-consumer waste content is the most meaningful figure.
  • Ask suppliers about carbon-neutral or carbon-offset claims, and look for third-party verification rather than self-declared labels.
  • Choose uncoated or matte-coated stocks where the project allows. They are generally easier to recycle than heavily glossy or laminated card.
  • For eco-friendly card printing, Craftsuprint’s blog covers low-impact printing practices and sustainable stock choices in more detail.

Craftsuprint’s printable templates and downloadable craft files are designed to work with standard UK cardstock weights, so you can test a design on a swatch before printing a full run.

The weight question most crafters get wrong

The conversation about cardstock weight almost always focuses on GSM as if it were the whole story. It is not. Two sheets at 300gsm can feel completely different in your hand depending on whether the stock is solid-core, surface-coated, or a specialty finish. A glitter card at 250gsm behaves nothing like a plain white 250gsm card base in a printer or under a cutting blade.

The practical lesson: GSM tells you the mass per square metre, not the stiffness, the print compatibility, or the fold behaviour. Those depend on construction and finish. Treat GSM as the starting filter, then test the specific stock on your specific printer before ordering a ream. A sample pack costs almost nothing against the waste of 250 misprinted sheets.

For sellers, the other thing worth saying plainly: 300gsm is not a premium weight because it sounds impressive. It is the baseline because buyers can feel the difference between a 250gsm card and a 300gsm card the moment they pick it up. If you are selling finished cards, starting below 300gsm is a choice you will likely revisit after your first customer feedback.

Craftsuprint’s print-ready templates make choosing weights straightforward

Picking the right cardstock weight is only half the job. The design itself needs to be formatted correctly for print, with the right bleed, resolution and colour profile, or even the best 300gsm stock will produce a disappointing result.

Craftsuprint

Craftsuprint’s Create & Craft Downloads library gives you access to print-ready templates and designer craft files built to work with the weight ranges covered in this guide. The practical workflow is simple: choose a template, test it on a 250–300gsm swatch, adjust if needed, then print your full run. For crafters who want to sell finished cards, the card and paper craft supplies section carries coordinating blanks and envelopes to complete the product. Browse the downloads library and find a design ready to print today.

Sources

FAQ

What weight is cardstock printed at?

Most printable greeting cards and craft projects use 250–300gsm. Home printers handle 200–250gsm most reliably; 300gsm usually needs a rear feed slot or a commercial printer.

What is 300gsm cardstock in US lb?

300gsm is approximately 110lb cover stock. Note that US lb figures depend on the paper family’s basis size, so always cross-reference with GSM for an accurate comparison.

How do I know the weight of my cardstock?

Check the packaging label for a GSM or g/m² figure. If the label is missing, a digital caliper measures thickness as a cross-check, and a bend test gives a rough feel for stiffness. Ordering a labelled sample pack from your supplier is the most reliable method.

Which is heavier, 80lb or 100lb cardstock?

Always confirm whether a lb figure refers to cover or text stock, as the two scales are not directly comparable.