Best paper for printing letters to cut out
Letters printed on ordinary paper curl, tear and fade on a wall within weeks. Here is which paper to use for each kind of project, and what your printer can take.
Paper weights, in plain terms
In the US, paper weight is given in pounds, and the number means different things for different types of paper, which is confusing. Everyday printer paper is 20 lb bond, which is about 75 gsm. Cardstock is sold as 65 lb, 80 lb, 100 lb and 110 lb cover, from about 175 gsm to 300 gsm. Outside the US the gsm number is used on its own.
The higher the number, the stiffer the sheet. 65 lb cardstock is flexible, like a greeting card. 110 lb cardstock is stiff enough to stand up on its own.
What to use for each project
- Coloring and tracing sheets: plain 20 to 24 lb paper. Cheap, and markers do not bleed much.
- Bulletin board letters: 65 to 80 lb cardstock. Stiff enough to lie flat when pinned, easy to cut with scissors.
- Banners and bunting: 65 lb cardstock. Heavier sheets make a banner sag in the middle.
- Letters that stand up or get handled (table decorations, sorting activities): 100 to 110 lb cardstock.
- Stencils: 110 lb cardstock, laminated, or plain paper glued to cereal-box card.
What a home printer can take
Most home inkjet printers accept cardstock up to about 110 lb cover (roughly 300 gsm), but check the manual for your model. Printers with a rear or straight-through paper feed handle heavy card better than those that bend the paper around a roller. Feed cardstock one sheet at a time if it jams, and set the paper type to Cardstock or Heavy paper in the print settings so the printer slows down and uses the right amount of ink.
Laser printers are pickier, because heavy card does not heat evenly in the fuser. Look for cardstock labeled laser-compatible.
Colored paper or colored ink
For big displays, printing the outline on colored cardstock is almost always better than printing colored letters on white. It uses a fraction of the ink, the color is even with no banding, and it does not fade as fast in a sunny window. Print the outline version from the maker onto bright card and cut along the black line.