Paper GSM explained: choosing the right weight for every print job
GSM is the single most useful number in commercial printing, and the one most customers are least sure about. It is worth ten minutes of understanding, because choosing the wrong weight is how a premium brochure ends up feeling like a handout — or how a letterhead jams every printer in your office.
What GSM actually measures
Grams per square metre: the weight of a one-metre square of that paper. It is a weight measure, not strictly a thickness measure, which matters because two papers at the same GSM can feel different depending on how they are made. A bulky uncoated stock feels thicker than a dense coated one at identical GSM.
Quick reference by job
| Item | Typical GSM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Letterhead | 90–120 | 90–100 feeds reliably through office printers; 120 feels more substantial. |
| Pamphlet / handbill | 70–130 | 70 maplitho for mass distribution; 100–130 art paper feels premium. |
| Brochure | 130–250 | Crease above 170 GSM or the fold will crack. |
| Visiting card | 300–400 | 300 is standard; 400 is the practical wallet limit. |
| Catalogue inner | 130–170 | 170 where photography quality matters. |
| Catalogue cover | 250–300 | Laminated, so it survives handling. |
| Poster | 130–300 | Higher for display; laminate for anything long-lived. |
| Book text | 70–80 | Opacity matters more than thickness — avoid show-through. |
| Letterpress | 400–600 | Cotton board, thick enough to take the impression. |
Coated or uncoated?
A separate decision from weight, and it changes the result as much as GSM does.
- Art paper (coated) holds ink on the surface, so colours stay sharp and saturated. Best for photography, catalogues and brochures. Harder to write on.
- Maplitho (uncoated) absorbs ink slightly, giving a softer result. Cheaper, easy to write on, and the right choice for letterheads, bill books and mass pamphlets.
- Textured and cotton stocks feel premium and take letterpress well, but reproduce photographs poorly.
Common mistakes
Going too heavy on letterheads
Anything above about 120 GSM risks jamming or smearing in office laser printers. A letterhead that cannot be printed on is decorative, not functional.
Going too light on brochures
Below about 130 GSM a folded brochure feels flimsy and the fold does not hold. If you are handing it to a prospective buyer, the weight is part of the message.
Forgetting to crease
Above roughly 170 GSM, folding without creasing first cracks the paper fibre — especially through a dark printed area. Creasing compresses the fibre along the fold line first.
Ask us
Tell us what the piece has to do — handed out in the street, posted to a buyer, kept on a shelf for two years — and we will recommend a weight rather than upselling one. Call +91 74055 25038.