Which GSM should you print on? Paper weights for visiting cards, brochures and letterheads

Every day someone asks us, "300 GSM is good, na?" Sometimes yes. Sometimes it is the wrong answer and the job comes out floppy, or too stiff to fold, or it jams the office printer. This guide explains what GSM actually measures, which weight suits each product we print, and the two or three traps that catch first-time buyers.

What GSM really means

GSM is grams per square metre: the weight of one sheet of paper one metre by one metre. It is a weight, not a thickness. Two papers of the same GSM can feel different because one is coated and dense while the other is bulky and uncoated. That is why we never choose on the number alone; we choose the number and the type of paper together.

The types you will meet on our product pages:

• Art paper and art card are coated. Ink sits on the surface, so colours look bright and photos look sharp. Used for brochures, flyers, posters and visiting cards.
• Bond, maplitho and natural shade papers are uncoated. They take a pen well and run through office printers, so they are the choice for letterheads, bill books and diary pages.
• Sunshine and Executive Bond are premium uncoated papers with a slightly textured, bright feel for letterheads that need to impress.

Visiting cards: 300 GSM is the floor, not the ceiling

A visiting card is held in the hand and judged in two seconds. Stiffness is the quality signal. Our everyday cards are printed on 300 GSM art card with matt or gloss lamination, which is the standard that most businesses in Ahmedabad are used to.

If you want the card to be remembered, move up. 350 to 400 GSM, a textured stock, or two sheets pasted together give a rigid card that does not bend when you push it across a table. Finishes matter more than weight at that point: matt lamination with spot UV on the logo, or a foil, changes the card more than another 50 GSM does.

Avoid going below 300 GSM for cards. A 250 GSM card feels like a shop coupon.

See the options and live prices on our visiting cards range.

Letterheads: lighter is better

The letterhead has one job the card does not: it must go through a laser or inkjet printer at your office without curling or jamming. That rules out anything heavy or coated.

• 80 GSM bond is the practical everyday choice.
• 90 to 100 GSM Sunshine or Executive Bond feels noticeably better in the hand and still prints cleanly.
• Keep lamination and heavy coating off letterheads entirely.

If you also want a matching envelope and bill book, order them in the same paper family so the set looks like one brand. Browse office stationery.

Brochures and flyers: match the weight to how it is handled

A flyer handed out at an exhibition lives for a minute. A brochure left on a client's desk lives for weeks. Choose accordingly.

• Single-sheet flyers and pamphlets: 130 GSM art paper. Light enough to be cheap in thousands, bright enough for colour.
• Folded brochures: 170 GSM art paper. It folds without cracking when creased properly and feels substantial.
• Premium brochures and catalogues: 170 GSM inside pages with a 300 GSM cover, matt laminated.

The price difference between 130 and 170 GSM is smaller than most people expect. Put both quantities into the price calculator and compare before deciding.

Menus, posters and other everyday jobs

• Restaurant menus get wiped and handled daily. 250 to 300 GSM with thick lamination on both sides, or a laminated card inside a folder.
• Posters that go on a wall need 130 to 170 GSM gloss art so they stay flat and bright.
• Diary and notebook inner pages use 70 to 100 GSM uncoated so a pen does not bleed through; our 2027 diaries use 80 GSM and natural shade stock.
• Stickers and labels are chosen by material, not GSM: paper, vinyl or metallic film. That is a separate guide.

Three traps to avoid

1. Ordering by GSM from a WhatsApp forward. A quote that says "300 GSM" without saying art card or board is incomplete. Ask which paper. 2. Folding heavy paper without creasing. Anything above 170 GSM must be scored before folding or the ink cracks along the fold. We crease as a step on the job card for every folded job. 3. Laminating a letterhead. It looks rich in the sample and refuses to print in your office. Keep letterheads uncoated.

How we decide at Orbit

When an order comes in, the job card records the paper and GSM for every line, and that card follows the job through printing, finishing and QC. If a paper is out of stock at the supplier, we tell you the closest match before printing, never after. You get a free PDF proof, and every order ships with a GST invoice from Ahmedabad, with local delivery in Ahmedabad and Pune.

Not sure which paper your job needs? Send the job details on WhatsApp to +91 90165 28799 and we will tell you the weight, the paper and the finish we would print it on, with the price from the calculator.