Cover vs. Text Cardstock: Your Crafty Paper Guide

Hi Friend/s!

I am finally rekindling my love for my blog. I also was sick so I did not write for a long time. As with this getting better again, I hope my intrusion to your busy life of the articles that I stopped writing will soon make you feel more calm that I can contribute again of this search and help of little known facts I find that might interest you too.

So buckle up, because we are going to talk about cover vs. text cardstocks. And I know if you are new to crafting, cardmaking, journaling, or cutting with your Cricut you will find out there's more to it than buying a thickened paper.

I am pretty sure this will help.

Imagine standing in front of a rainbow wall of paper in your favorite craft store—so many colors, so many textures. But wait… the labels say “Cover” and “Text.” Cover? Text? Sounds like something from a book club, right?

Don’t worry — we’re about to sort through that paper jungle together, so you can pick exactly what you need for your postcards, invitations, or scrapbooking projects without feeling like you need a degree in papermaking.

Why It Matters?

Why paper choice makes or breaks a project is knowing the thickness and likely the chance it will survive for many more years to come. Even packaging in selling stationery and the aesthetic it gives.

Crafter's can attest to this, scrapbookers for their album making, illustrators and ones making their own packaging from scratch of their product themes even postcards will recognize the stability of recognizing text or cover for their projects.

Meet the Two Paper Personalities

A. Cover Cardstock

These is what we call a like a little bodyguard for your art. Thick and sturdy. It can be commonly used for postcards, cover for booklets, greeting cards.

Weight range explanation is easy terms (think "feels like a sturdy folder").

It is available in many finishes (smooth, textured glossy).

There are few drawbacks for this type of cardstock. One is NOT knowing which thickness because there are variety of thickness for the cover cardstock.

If used to self-printing postcards make sure you make a test run before printing more than one page. For some printer the thicker the cardstock the harder it will be on the printer feed and a jam is going to happen.

Folding-the thicker the paper the harder it is to fold. Use other tools such as bone folders to create such crisp fold lines.

B. Text Cardstock

Ah, this is like easy paper folding 101. Lighter, flexible-like the reliable friend for everyday printing.

Perfect for flyer inserts, folded letters, layering in scrapbooks. This can be used as a cover for albums. And miniature paper crafts. Can also be used as photo paper.

Usually has more "flow" (bendable, easier to handle in printers).

There are pros of this type of paper for home projects. They are easy to manage as mass printing, folding, cutting not using heavy duty guillotine or stapling together. Even if it is just a text cardstock there are medium thickness and more thicker text types of cardstock that you can use to act as a cover for booklets, just an example.

Understanding Paper Weight (Without the Jargon)

What to know is there is (lb) and grams per square inch (gsm) when looking for cardstocks in general. The higher the number value= heavier, thicker paper. When you choose heavier versus lighter for your project you can gauge the description based on weighing in on the balance of whether this is light, medium, heavy text. Or light, medium, heavy cover cardstocks.

Sometimes you encounter two cover measurements for labeled let's say, medium cardstocks. Which one should you buy suitable for projects is remembering the higher the value of the (lb) and (gsm) the thicker the cardstock will be.

Side-by-Side Comparison Chart

How To Pick For Your Projects

You can ask yourself, will my paper be mailed? Will it need to stand up on its own? Will it be folded?

If it has to be mailed then a suggestion to use a cover cardstock to support the mail as it might be fragile. And example of this is mailing prints or postcards. Use a cover smooth cardstock for these to print on.

If it has to be folded, for example a crafty zine then you can use text cardstock to smoothly make those creases to be folded up crisp and tucked together making the piece with your artwork shine.

Fun "Paper Personality Test"

Here is a suggested rule of thumb together with information that we have already discussed:

If your project is "standing tall and proud," choose Cover.

If your project is "traveling light and easy," choose Text.

Tips for Buying & Storing Cardstock

You can feel the thickness in your hand when buying paper in store. Flip the pages of the designer scrapbooking bundle pad like 6" x 5" or the 12" x 12" pad. Gauging if it is a durable enough text or a slightly thin cover for projects.

Store not in direct sunlight or if there is draftiness in the room. Make areas dry around the papers. When mailing make sure to protect your projects from the elements during mailing to keep it safe you can enclose it in a cello sealable sleeve bag and tucked inside the rigid flat mailer envelopes.

Store it flat to avoid warping and unintended folds and in their proper size containers. Remember flat is the best to store the cardstock.

Common Confusions Cleared Up

Q: Is cover cardstock the same as constructions paper?

A: Nope, difference in durability and finish.

Q: Can I run cover cardstock through my home printer?

A: Sometimes-thickness limit check is needed. You can certainly use the reviews on a said brand to further your findings about a particular cardstock.

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So next time you’re in the craft aisle, you can smile knowingly when you see those labels. You’ll know when to call in the strong, sturdy “Cover” and when to let the friendly, flexible “Text” step in. In the end, it’s all about matching your paper’s personality to your project’s dream.

True Fact: Paper starts from trees by breaking wood into pulp, either by grinding or using water and chemicals. This pulp is then spread out, rolled, and dried into the sheets we know as paper.