What GSM actually means when choosing paper
2 min read
GSM is grams per square metre — literally what one square metre of the paper weighs. It is a measure of density, not of quality, and not directly of thickness.
Two papers at the same GSM can feel completely different depending on how they are made. A bulky uncoated sheet feels thicker than a compressed coated one at identical weight.
The ranges that matter in practice
Most Indian commercial printing lives in a narrow band, and each part of it has a settled use.
- 80–100 gsm — letterheads and internal documents. Feeds through a laser printer without jamming.
- 130–170 gsm — flyers, posters and brochure pages. Enough body to feel deliberate, light enough to post cheaply.
- 250–300 gsm — the entry point for visiting cards. Below 250 a card feels flimsy.
- 350–400 gsm — premium cards. This is the range where a card feels expensive when handed over.
Where the money goes
Paper is a real proportion of a short-run print job, so moving from 300 to 400 gsm on 500 cards is a noticeable cost. On 5,000 it is proportionally smaller, because setup is spread across more units.
If budget is tight, spend it on weight rather than finish. A heavy uncoated card reads as more considered than a light laminated one.
The specifications this applies to
For reference, here is how it works out on the products this comes up on most often.
- Standard Visiting Cards — 89 × 51 mm finished, 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI minimum, from ₹2 per unit with a minimum of 100.
- Letterheads — 210 × 297 mm finished, 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI minimum, from ₹4 per unit with a minimum of 100.
- Flyers — 148 × 210 mm finished, 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI minimum, from ₹2.5 per unit with a minimum of 250.
Ordering
Every file is checked automatically before printing, so a mistake in any of this is caught while it can still be corrected rather than after a run is on paper.
Standard delivery is free to every PIN code in India — two working days to a metro, up to twelve to the islands — and prices include GST, so the figure on the product page is the figure charged. Add a GSTIN at checkout and the invoice carries it for input credit.
Choosing without seeing it
Paper and finish are difficult to judge from a screen, which is why the descriptions on each product say what a stock is best for, what it is poor for, and what it feels like in the hand rather than only listing a GSM figure.
If a decision genuinely hinges on the feel, order the smallest quantity first. On most products the minimum is 100 units, which costs very little against the risk of committing a full run to a stock that turns out wrong.