Looking for a paper weight guide? Start with “gsm.” GSM (grams per square metre) tells you how much one square metre of the paper weighs. The higher the number, the thicker, stiffer and more “premium” the paper feels.Common weight ranges90–120 gsm: letterhead, brochure inner pages, flyers.130–170 gsm: catalogue pages, quality brochures, posters.200–250 gsm: catalogue/magazine covers, invitations.300–350 gsm: business cards, hard covers, premium labels.Weight → use mappingFor business cards, 300 gsm and up is standard; thinner stock feels cheap. For a folded brochure, very high weight can crack at the fold — then you need a crease. Choosing a heavier catalogue cover makes the product feel more valuable.Feel, cost and weight balanceHigher gsm feels better but raises both paper cost and shipping weight. On multi-page jobs like brochures, a few grams multiply into real cost. The right balance follows the job’s purpose.In our experience customers approve a business card on screen, but the paper’s feel doesn’t show on screen. Holding samples in different weights before printing cuts revision rounds almost to zero.Coating matters tooWeight alone isn’t enough; whether the paper is coated or uncoated also decides feel. See our coated vs uncoated article and the paper selector guide for cards.Next stepSeeing weight in hand is best. Request a sample set and compare weights and finishes before you print.Ömer Faruk Ceylandağ · Ceylan Ofset — print and paper advice in Samsun since 1976.