The Complete Guide to Choosing Paper Weight for Print
Paper weight is one of the most misunderstood variables in print production — yet it's also one of the most important. The weight of paper you choose determines how your printed material feels in someone's hands, which in turn shapes how they perceive the quality of your brand. This guide explains everything you need to know to make the right choice for every print job.
What Does gsm Mean?
gsm stands for grams per square metre — it's a measure of how much a square metre of the paper weighs. Higher gsm means thicker, heavier, more substantial paper. Lower gsm means lighter, thinner, more flexible paper. This simple number tells you a great deal about how paper will feel and perform. Most people intuitively understand this: a newspaper (around 45gsm) feels completely different from a business card (350gsm+), and that difference is largely explained by gsm.
Common Paper Weights and Their Uses
80–90gsm — Standard office copy paper. Used for everyday printing, internal documents, and letterheads where cost is the priority. Feels familiar and functional, not premium.
120–130gsm — Premium office paper and standard flyers. A noticeable step up from copy paper — feels more substantial in the hand. The go-to choice for general-purpose flyers, handouts, and letterheads where a professional impression matters.
170gsm — Semi-gloss flyers and brochure covers. This weight signals quality without being rigid. It's the sweet spot for most promotional flyers, event programmes, and restaurant menus. It holds vivid colour well and survives handling better than lighter stocks.
200–250gsm — Premium flyers and brochure covers. Thick enough that it sits between a leaflet and a card. The go-to choice for premium promotions, luxury brands, and brochure covers that need to feel like a proper document rather than a handout.
350–400gsm — Standard to premium business cards. This is where business cards live. At 350gsm, a card has genuine weight and presence. At 400–450gsm, it becomes a notable tactile experience — cards at this weight are often commented on and kept.
How Paper Weight Affects Colour
Heavier coated paper stocks hold ink better and produce sharper, more vibrant colour reproduction. The coating prevents ink from spreading into the paper fibres (dot gain), which means finer details stay crisp and colours remain accurate to the design file. This is why the same design can look noticeably better on 200gsm than 130gsm — the colour is richer and the edges are cleaner.
Uncoated vs Coated Stock
Coated paper has a surface treatment that gives it a smooth, sometimes glossy feel. It absorbs less ink, which means sharper print reproduction and more vivid colours. Uncoated paper has a natural texture and absorbs more ink — it's easier to write on and has a warmer, more organic feel. Coated stocks are generally better for photography-heavy, colour-rich designs. Uncoated stocks suit text-heavy documents, notepads, and materials that people need to annotate.
Our Recommendation by Product
For business cards: minimum 350gsm, ideally 400gsm. For standard flyers: 130gsm for budget campaigns, 170gsm for anything customer-facing. For brochures: 170gsm for interior pages, 200–250gsm for covers. For letterheads: 90–120gsm uncoated. For notepads: 70–80gsm for sheets, 300gsm+ for the cover.
When in doubt, go heavier. The marginal cost difference between paper weights is almost always smaller than the impression difference it creates. At Bayo Media & Prints, we'll always recommend the weight that best serves your specific use case — just ask.