70–80 GSM - Everyday office prints and notepads

100 GSM - Letterheads

130–170 GSM - Flyers and Pamphlets

170–300 GSM - Brochures

300+ GSM - Visiting cards and Certificates

250–350 GSM for book covers.

What GSM means

GSM is grams per square metre: the weight of one square metre of the paper. A higher GSM means thicker, stiffer paper. It isn’t a quality rating. A thick paper can be poor, and a light paper can be excellent for its job.

Paper types

• Bond: smooth uncoated paper that takes ink from a pen. Good for letterheads and forms.

• Maplitho: uncoated bright white paper, the standard for books and notebooks.

• Art paper: coated paper that gives sharp colour. Used for brochures and flyers.

• Matte vs glossy: matte cuts glare and is easy to read. Glossy makes colours richer but shows fingerprints and is hard to write on.

Common Mistakes

• Using 100 GSM for a double-sided flyer. The print shows through, so use 130 GSM or more.

• Folding 250 GSM or heavier paper without creasing it first. The fold cracks, so ask for creasing.

• Choosing glossy for anything people write on, such as forms or certificates that need signatures.

• Going heavier than needed. It costs more and folds worse, with no benefit.

FAQ

• What GSM is a normal flyer? 130 or 170 GSM.

• What GSM is best for a visiting card? 300 GSM or more.

• Is 80 GSM or 100 GSM better? 80 is standard office paper. 100 feels more premium and shows through less.

• Does higher GSM cost more? Yes. Choose by use, not by default.

Not sure which paper you need? Tell us what you’re printing and how many, and we’ll suggest the right one.