Weight of Invitation Paper | Affectionate Digitals

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Paper weight can be measured in a variety of ways. "Grammage" refers to the weight of paper in grams per square meter of one piece of paper. One gram is equal to .27 pounds and one pound is equal to 3.75 grams. This is the metric system, used by most of the world.

The United States uses a different weight measurement system. The weight measurement, called size basis, is based on different paper sizes for different paper types - text, cover, etc. So, when US paper weights are calculated, they must include the weight along with the applicable paper type, i.e., 80 lb cover.

Paper weight comparison: 65lb - 120lb cover = (approx) 176g/m2 - 300g/m2

Paper Weight Terminology on Affectionate Digitals Website

The terms 'cover paper' and 'cardstock' as used throughout the website are referring to the equivalent of 80lb -110lb cover weight in US measurements. This is the weight range used on most of the printed pieces of custom designed invitations in the gallery. (Other weight ranges are used for non-printed specialty papers such as wraps.)

The Affectionate Digitals "Paper Quality" category in the Company Comparison Chart found at the bottom of the Affectionate Digitals Shop Online page shows ratings of A, A+, and A++ as a guideline tool. The rating generally represents weight of paper measures used by the printing companies as follows:

A = approximately 65lb cover

A+ = approximately 80lb cover

A++ = approximately 110lb cover

Not all paper weights are created equal! However, for general discussion purposes, we consider invitation paper weights to be OK at 65lb cover, very good between 80-90lb cover, and excellent, high quality over 100lb cover based on our experience and feedback from clients.