How to choose the right paper for your business card

A business card is one of the few printed things that is felt before it is read. The person receiving it forms a judgement in the first second, before their eyes reach the name. Paper is what forms that judgement.

What weight tells you

Weight (gsm) is the mass of a square metre of the sheet. It correlates with thickness but is not the same thing: of two papers at the same weight, the bulkier fibre will feel thicker in the hand.

• 300 gsm: standard commercial card thickness. The letterpress bite stays shallow.
• 450 gsm: real weight begins; a sensible floor for single-ply printing.
• 600 gsm: usually two sheets duplexed. This is our default recommendation.
• 900 gsm: effectively board. Edge painting is at its most dramatic here.

Why cotton

Wood-pulp papers are hard and tightly formed; they compress very little under pressure, so the impression stays shallow. Cotton fibre is soft — the plate sinks in and the well stays.

The second advantage is longevity. Cotton papers are acid-free: they do not yellow or grow brittle over decades. For archival work and for invitations people keep, that difference matters.

Hard paper pushes the impression back out. Soft paper holds it. That sentence is the whole logic of letterpress.

Texture and legibility

Textured papers — linen, laid, handmade — give the impression character; the edges of the bite break slightly and the result reads as more organic. That same breaking hurts legibility at small sizes.

A working rule: type at 8 pt and above is safe on textured stock. Below that, choose a smooth cotton sheet instead.

Duplexed bodies

Laminating two sheets into one body is the standard solution for letterpress cards, for two reasons:

• Both faces can take a deep impression — on a single thick sheet, a deep bite on one side shows through on the other.
• Two different paper colours can be bonded, leaving a fine coloured line along the cut edge.

Edge painting

Edge painting is colour applied by hand to all four cut edges. Below 600 gsm there is not enough body for it to register; between 750 and 900 gsm it becomes the most noticed detail on the card.

Two approaches work for colour: either match your brand colour exactly, or pick a dark tone with high contrast against the stock. The middle ground usually reads as indecision.

The short version

• Safe default: 600 gsm duplexed cotton, one colour letterpress.
• Small type calls for smooth stock; character calls for texture.
• On dark stock, plan for hot foil rather than letterpress.
• For edge painting use at least 600 gsm, ideally 750.

If you are still weighing it up, ask for the sample pack — holding four weights side by side usually settles the question on its own. Write to us here.