Card Making Card Stock

If you’re a novice to card making, then knowing what card making card to use can be quite daunting. When you go into your arts and craft store or look on the web, you’re inundated with different paper types, sizes and weights – it can almost be a foreign language!

Here I list out the different paper sizes and typical card stocks so it should make it easier for you to choose the right card making card.

Sheet card and paper sizes
Paper, more often then not, comes in A4 size – which you’ll be familiar with as it’s the standard size that you put in the printer and measures 210mm x 297mm. You can also buy sheets of card in this size, however if you’re making your cards from scratch (cutting and folding them yourself), then you should buy a larger sheet.

Standard sheet card sizes
A6 is 105mm x 148mm and is similar to the size of a postcard.
A5 is 148mm x 210mm and is half of A4.
A4 is 210mm x 297mm and is your standard paper size for printers.
A3 is 297mm x 420mm and is double the size of A4.
A2 is 420mm x 594mm and is the size of 4 sheets of A4.
A1 is 594mm x 841mm and is massive!

Once you have your sheet, you can cut it down to your preferred size. If you’re buying sheets of card making card, then I would recommend getting them cut by a professional. The finish will be much better and they’ll have the right tools – like a large guillotine or paper cutter that can manage large sheets of paper or card.

Card blank sizes
Premade cards are cards that have been cut to size and are often already scored ready to be folded. You can buy these as individual cards or in packs.
The standard sizes that these come in are as follows:
- A6 is an A5 sheet of paper, scored in the centre so you can fold it easily.
- A5 is an A4 sheet of paper, scored in the centre so you can fold it easily.
- ‘Tall’ or ‘DL’ is 99mm x 210mm (8.25”x4”) and is tall and thin when folded.
- ‘Square’ card is 120mm x 120mm (4.75”x4.75”) and is a square shape.

Some card blanks come with apertures (cut out windows) in the front, which allow you to create panels and have a little fun with your designs.

Depending on the design you fancy will depend on what size card you buy. The majority of wedding invitations are A6 cards though.

The premade cards in packs already have envelopes with them. If you buy individual cards, you’ll need to buy the envelopes separately.

Envelope sizes
While we’re talking about paper sizes, it only makes sense to mention wedding invitation envelope sizes here too.

An A6 card will need a C6 envelope.
An A5 card will need a C5 envelope.
A ‘tall’ or ‘DL’ card will need a DL envelope.
A square card will need a square envelope to fit your paper – usually 5.2”x5.2”.

You can buy coloured envelopes to match the colour of your cards or your design as well.

Paper and card stock
Paper and card making card or stock is categorised by its weight per square metre in grams. Therefore you usually see a number followed by ‘gsm’ (grams per square metre). Paper can often be referred to as ‘mic’ as well, but ‘gsm’ is far more common.

The paper stock that you put through the printer is usually around 80gsm and quite thin. Card stock begins at around 175gsm and can often be put through your printer - just check with your printer manufacturer.

If you’re buying sheets of card making card, then the best weight to work from is between 220gsm – 300gsm. Any lighter than that and your card will be too flimsy especially when you stick on any embellishments! This should provide a solid base whilst still giving a professional finish.