--- type: hub title: "Paper & Stock Guides" description: "Choose the right paper every time: matte, gloss, linen, kraft, and cardstock weights compared, plus how to match stock to your project and budget." resource: https://www.4over4.com/guides/paper-stock-guides tags: ["hub"] generated: by: "process:4over4-mapp-build" at: 2026-10-20T21:15:07.585Z timestamp: 2026-10-20T21:15:07.585Z sources: - resource: https://www.4over4.com/guides/paper-stock-guides title: "Paper & Stock Guides" status: stable --- # Paper & Stock Guides Choose the right paper every time: matte, gloss, linen, kraft, and cardstock weights compared, plus how to match stock to your project and budget. - [Apparel Merch Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/apparel-merch-guides) - [Banner Sign Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/banner-sign-guides) - [Brochure Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/brochure-guides) - [Business Applications](https://www.4over4.com/guides/business-applications) - [Calendar Notebook Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/calendar-notebook-guides) - [Color Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/color-guides) - [Comparisons Reviews](https://www.4over4.com/guides/comparisons-reviews) - [Design Process Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/design-process-guides) - [Design Software Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/design-software-guides) - [Dimensions Templates](https://www.4over4.com/guides/dimensions-templates) - [File Prep Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/file-prep-guides) - [Finishes Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/finishes-guides) - [Finishes Techniques](https://www.4over4.com/guides/finishes-techniques) - [Flyer Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/flyer-guides) - [Invitation Card Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/invitation-card-guides) - [Layout File Setup](https://www.4over4.com/guides/layout-file-setup) - [Logo Branding Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/logo-branding-guides) - [Marketing Strategy Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/marketing-strategy-guides) - [Packaging Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/packaging-guides) - [Paper Stock Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/paper-stock-guides) - [Postcard Mailer Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/postcard-mailer-guides) - [Pricing Cost](https://www.4over4.com/guides/pricing-cost) - [Printing Basics Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/printing-basics-guides) - [Product Explainers](https://www.4over4.com/guides/product-explainers) - [Rules Regulations](https://www.4over4.com/guides/rules-regulations) - [Shipping Postage](https://www.4over4.com/guides/shipping-postage) - [Step By Step Creation](https://www.4over4.com/guides/step-by-step-creation) - [Sticker Label Guides](https://www.4over4.com/guides/sticker-label-guides) - [Stock Substrate Selection](https://www.4over4.com/guides/stock-substrate-selection) - [Wording Messaging](https://www.4over4.com/guides/wording-messaging) ## Latest Paper Stock Guides ### [Printing Paper Stocks Explained, from Matte and Gloss to Linen and Kraft](https://www.4over4.com/guide/printing-paper-stocks-explained-matte-gloss-linen-and-kraft) Matte, gloss, linen and kraft paper stocks explained, with what each finish is for, how to choose the right one, and what it costs to print at 4OVER4.COM. ### [Paper Stocks & Materials and How to Choose the Right One](https://www.4over4.com/guide/paper-stocks-materials-guide-how-to-choose) Choose the right paper for any print job by comparing stock, weight and finish, from cover vs text to silk, soft touch, kraft and recycled, at 4OVER4.COM. ### [Cardstock vs Corrugated Boxes, How to Choose the Right Material](https://www.4over4.com/guide/cardstock-vs-corrugated-boxes-how-to-choose-the-right-material) Cardstock vs corrugated boxes: what each material is, common thicknesses, when a folding carton beats a corrugated shipper, and how pricing works. ### [Cotton vs Canvas vs Recycled Tote Bags](https://www.4over4.com/guide/cotton-vs-canvas-vs-recycled-totes) Cotton, canvas or recycled tote bags compared on weight, feel, durability and print result, then print any of the three at 4OVER4.COM from $22.73. ### [What Is Cardstock and Its Weights?](https://www.4over4.com/guide/what-is-cardstock-and-its-weights) The weight of cardstock runs from 10pt, about 80 lb cover, to 16pt, about 120 lb cover, with points, pounds and GSM decoded and which weight to pick. ### [What Is 100 lb Gloss Book Paper? Best Uses & Feel](https://www.4over4.com/guide/what-is-100-lb-gloss-book-paper-best-uses-feel) Gloss book folds like a flyer page while 100 lb gloss cover stands stiff like a postcard, so compare thickness, feel, folding and the products for each. ## All Paper Stock Guides ### [100lb Cardstock Thickness, Weight and What It Prints Best](https://www.4over4.com/guide/100lb-cardstock-weight-thickness-and-uses) 100lb cardstock is 100lb cover, about 0.010 inches and 271 gsm, so see how it compares with 14pt, what it prints well and where it falls too thin. ### [Best Paper for Pamphlets, From 80 lb Text to 100 lb Cover](https://www.4over4.com/guide/best-paper-for-pamphlets) Which paper suits a pamphlet, from 100 lb gloss text that folds clean to cover weights that crack on a fold, with gsm, coatings, grain and gloss vs matte. ### [How to Print Posters on Cardstock That Stay Flat](https://www.4over4.com/guide/how-to-print-posters-on-cardstock) When cardstock beats paper for posters, which pt weight holds flat at each size, where cardstock stops working, and when to mount on foam core instead. ### [How 100lb Text and 10pt Stock Differ in Paper Weight and Thickness](https://www.4over4.com/guide/paper-weight-vs-thickness-100lb-text-vs-10pt-stock-explained) 100lb text weighs a ream of parent sheets while 10pt measures one sheet at 0.010 inch, so compare both systems and pick the right stock for each job. ### [How Pearlescent Paper Prints and When to Use Pearl Stock](https://www.4over4.com/guide/pearlescent-paper-explained) What pearlescent paper is, how mica in the coating changes printed color, the artwork rules for pearl stock, and where 26pt Metallic Pearl Ice is worth it. ### [What Soft Touch Paper Is and How the Velvet Finish Works](https://www.4over4.com/guide/soft-touch-paper-explained) Soft touch paper gets its velvet feel two ways, a laminated film or an uncoated stock, so see how each is built, what it costs and which takes a pen. ### [Ticket Paper and Stock Options, 15 Materials Compared for Events and Raffles](https://www.4over4.com/guide/ticket-paper-and-stock-options-guide) Ticket paper from 13pt to 18pt compared: gloss, uncoated, linen, metallic and synthetic, how each tears at a perforation, and where numbering sits. ### [What C1S Paper Is and Why One Side Stays Uncoated](https://www.4over4.com/guide/what-is-c1s-paper) C1S paper is coated on one face and bare on the other, so one side holds sharp color and the other takes a pen, glue and an address, with C1S vs C2S. ### [What YUPO Synthetic Paper Is and When It Beats Regular Paper](https://www.4over4.com/guide/what-is-yupo-synthetic-paper-uses-and-benefits-explained) YUPO is polypropylene film, not wood pulp, so see why it is waterproof and tear proof, where heat and folding limit it and what to print instead. ### [80 lb Gloss Book Paper, What It Is and When to Use It](https://www.4over4.com/guide/80-lb-gloss-book-paper-what-it-is-when-to-use-it) 80 lb gloss book paper explained: what text weight and gloss coating mean, how it feels and prints, and the flyer, brochure and catalog jobs it fits. The stock you choose quietly changes how a piece feels, prints, and lasts, matte against gloss, linen against kraft, a light text weight against a heavy cover. These guides help you match the paper to the purpose so the finished piece feels right the moment it's picked up. ## Our Paper Range in Weights and Finishes 4OVER4.COM stocks 60+ papers. Text weights such as 70# uncoated and 100# gloss or silk/matte text suit flyers and brochures that fold. Cover weights such as 14pt and 16pt gloss or uncoated suit postcards and business cards, and ultra thick stocks run from 26PT to 80PT. Specialty papers include classic linens, metallic pearl, kraft from 18PT to 80PT, black stock, synthetic plastic that resists tearing and water, and 100% cotton. To feel the difference, [Postcards](https://www.4over4.com/product/postcards) offer 22 stocks from 50 for $16.48, and [Kraft Business Cards](https://www.4over4.com/product/kraft-business-cards) print on 18pt kraft uncoated cover made from 100% post-consumer waste, from 100 for $24.75. You can also order [free samples](https://www.4over4.com/free-samples), which ship free.