Cardstock
Heavy uncoated paper between about 200 and 400 gsm: the stock for cards, covers and boxes.
| Weight range | 200–450 gsm |
| Caliper | 0.24 mm at 200 gsm, 0.55 mm at 450 gsm |
| Surface | Uncoated, smooth or vellum |
| Grain | Long grain as standard |
| Scoring | Required above about 170 gsm |
| Standard sizes | SRA3 450 × 320 mm, A4, A3 |
| Brightness | 92–98 ISO |
| Recycled options | Up to 100 per cent post-consumer waste |
| Weight | 200–450 gsm |
| Caliper | 0.24–0.55 mm |
| Grain | Long grain |
| Scoring | Required above 170 gsm, essential above 250 |
| Processes | Letterpress, scoring, die cutting, foil stamping |
| Compatible materials | Letterpress ink, foil, PVA, double-sided tape |
| Minimum type size | 8 pt |
| Maximum press thickness | Check the press; 1.5 mm is a common ceiling |
There is a simulator for this. Paper Grain Visualizer runs the same relationships in 3D, so you can change a number and watch what it does to the result.
Cardstock is not a different material from paper, only a heavier one. The line is usually drawn at about 200 gsm, above which the sheet stops behaving like paper and starts behaving like board. It prints well on a platen press and takes a deep impression, but it must be scored before it is folded.
The most useful range for letterpress cards is 250 to 400 gsm. Below 250 the card feels thin in the hand; above 400 the press struggles to take the impression and the sheet needs a crease rather than a fold.
Safety
Using it well
- Score on the outside of the fold and fold away from the score. The bead ends up inside the fold and the outside stays clean.
- For a two-sided card, print the lighter side first. The second pass sits on a sheet that has already been through the press, and any impression from the first side shows through.
- Let a heavy card rest flat for an hour after printing before you stack it. Stacked warm, the sheets set into each other.
What it works with
Papers and substrates
- Not applicable
Type and fonts
- Any type 8 pt and above
- Wood type for display
Processes
- Letterpress
- Scoring
- Die cutting
- Foil stamping
- Debossing
Tools that go with the cardstock
Tabletop Platen Press
A small clamshell press that prints one sheet at a time, by hand, under a platen.
Debossing Die
A raised relief that presses an image into the sheet without ink or foil.
Paper Cutter
A guillotine or a board shear: the tool that trims a text block square and a sheet to size.