Complete Paper Weight & Cardstock Guide (GSM vs. LB) for Printable Planners, Cards & Gift Tags

1. Understanding GSM vs. US Basis Weight (Bond, Text & Cover)

Paper weight is measured in two ways worldwide: Grams per Square Meter (GSM)—an intuitive metric scale where higher numbers always mean thicker, heavier paper—and US Basis Weight (measured in pounds, or 'lb'), which depends on the parent sheet size of a specific paper category (Bond, Text, Index, or Cover).

Because a '65 lb Cover' sheet is actually much stiffer than an '80 lb Text' sheet, our studio always recommends checking the GSM equivalent on the package before loading your printer tray.

• 80–90 GSM (20–24 lb Bond): Standard copy paper. Great for test prints, kids scratch worksheets, and folding origami templates.
• 105–120 GSM (28–32 lb Premium Laser/Inkjet): The gold standard for Printable Planners, ADHD Dopamine Menus, Cash-Stuffing Trackers, and Recipe Cards—zero marker bleed-through while remaining easy to hole-punch.
• 215–250 GSM (80–90 lb Cover): Ideal for Christmas Party Game Bingo boards, Montessori Flashcards, and hanging Gift Tags.
• 270–300 GSM (100–110 lb Cover): Boutique stationery weight for folded 5×7 Greeting Cards, Place Cards, and Framed Wall Art.

2. Best Paper for ADHD Planners, Habit Trackers & GoodNotes Import

When printing daily time-blocking sheets, dopamine menus, or 100-envelope savings challenges that you write on with gel pens or Mildliner highlighters, ordinary 75 GSM paper allows ink to ghost through to the back. Upgrade to 120 GSM ultra-smooth uncoated paper (such as Hammermill Premium Color Copy 32 lb or HP Printer Paper 32 lb).

Prefer a 100% paperless workflow? Every 2-page PDF in our Planners department imports directly into GoodNotes 6, Notability, Samsung Notes, and Xodo on iPad or Android tablets with full vector crispness at any zoom level.

3. Scoring, Trimming & Punching Folded Cards and Gift Tags

Our Printable Cards and Gift Tags include light-gray crop marks, center score lines, and punch-hole guides on both pages. For crisp, crack-free folds on 250–300 GSM cardstock, run a bone folder or the back of a butter knife along a metal ruler over the dashed score line before folding.