Cardstock Comparison

Reported by Taylor Usry

Everyone loves cardstock! It is definitely a product I cannot get enough of, and I am always interested in comparing different types, colors, textures, styles, and weights. I have found such a terrific variety of cardstock available to purchase, and thought I'd share a little about them. Pictured above are samples of Prism's Prismatics textured cardstock, Stampin' Up's line of cardstock, Bazzill textured cardstock, and Georgia Pacific White cardstock (the kind you can buy at Walmart).

Here are some basic facts about these samples:

  • Prismatics - 70# weight, available in a wide variety of colors, textured on one side, smooth on the other, can be purchased at a number of online and retail stores.
  • Stampin' Up - 80# weight, available in four color families with matching ink, as well as specialty colors, can only be purchased through a demonstrator.
  • Bazzill - 65# - 80# weight, available in a large variety of colors and textures, can be purchased online or at retail stores.
  • Georgia Pacific White - 110# weight, available in large packs, can be purchased at Walmart or other office stores.

Not pictured above:

  • Coredinations Chocolate Box - 80# weight, available in individual sheets or coordinating packs at retail and online stores, has a gauze like texture and is multi-colored with a white core that is perfect for sanding and distressing.
  • Neenah Solar White -- 80# weight, available in packs of 25 sheets from both online and retail stores.
  • Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select - weight 110#, available in packs of 40 sheets from PapertreyInk.

These are a small sampling of neutral cardstock colors and how certain effects look when applied to them. Each piece of cardstock was sponged with Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Ink, distressed with a distressing tool, and punched with a Martha Stewart edge punch. Additionally, I used a Copic marker to color a small square on each one to illustrate the different finishes on each sample. Stampin Up's Whisper White and Georgia Pacific's white do not take to Copic coloring well at all. The Prismatics sample looks a little rough but that is because I colored on the textured side - when Copics are used on the smooth side it is absolutely flawless. The Bazzill textured stock takes coloring well, however you can see the grain of the texture through the marker. The Georgia Pacific white did not punch as smoothly as the other cardstock, and left a rougher edge in the design.

This darling digital paper, A Little Love by Lizzie Anne Designs, was printed on Stampin' Up's Whisper White. In my opinion it does a wonderful job for printing paper. I have used Georgia Pacific in a pinch, and the designs come out grainy. I have not tried printing on any textured cardstock, since I just don't think the texture would work well for printing. I did not have any on hand, but the Papertrey Ink cardstock (in white) is also excellent for printing digital paper. If you've tried a different cardstock, I'd love to hear the results of your experiments! What works? What doesn't?

My sample above is made with all Prismatics cardstock. The colors I used were: Spring Willow Medium (G431-D), Suede Brown Medium (BR291-D), and White. I stamped my sentiment with Tim Holtz Ranger Disress Ink, and made the mistake of not heat setting it. It smudged (it takes awhile to dry on this paper if it isn't heat set) so I sponged the entire panel as opposed to just the edges. I think the texture is gorgeous and lends itself well to simple cards. One of my favorite little bonuses about this cardstock is that it does not curl up or warp when you use a heat gun on it, either for embossing or just to heat set some ink.

This small love note features Bazzill cardstock that is available in a custom pack from Lizzie Anne Designs (they call it their French Floral pack). Their website provides an excellent close up picture of the texture on this cardstock. The colors I used were Juicy Plum and Moss. The textures of the Bazzill are much different than the texture of the Prismatics - Bazzill has a weave (sort of gauze-like), or stripes where Prism just has a texture, almost a bumpy look to it. I personally am not a huge fan of the Bazzill - I like it mostly for layers and small notes like this one. It just seems a bit to thin as a card base for me.

My last sample uses all Stampin' Up cardstock. Two of the colors (Groovy Guava and Soft Sky) are no longer available; the Basic Black and Whisper White can be purchased through a demonstrator. One advantage to Stampin' Up is their built-in color coordination - my ribbon was also made by them and matches the Guava perfectly. As far as stamping goes, the Whisper White takes color amazingly well for both line art images and solid images. It is difficult to color on though - no matter what media is used. Their colored cardstock is solid core and very heavyweight. Cards hold up with lots of embellishments, which is nice.

So that wraps it up for what I have to share with you today! I'd love to hear about your cardstock adventures (successes and mishaps!). Please leave a comment and let me know what your favorites (or non-favorites) are!

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