When it comes to cardstock there are so many options, from textures, colours, and finishes to edging, shape and size, and choosing the right one for you can become overwhelming.
It may seem like a minor decision, but choosing a cardstock is the basis for your whole invitation and it can change the look of a design in an instant. So selecting this first can make designing MUCH easier.
I’ve compiled a list of the most popular cardstocks to help you make choosing the base of your invitation as easy as possible.
Let’s get to it!
Whilst the name may sound underwhelming, uncoated card actually does have a slight grain to the texture, but from a distance it looks smooth, clean and crisp. This cardstock can come in a range of shades including white, off white, cream, aged white and ivory. This is an ideal choice if you want a thicker more sturdy card and you won’t be able to see through it if you did want any double sided printing.
I typically use this cardstock for any white pockets, standard single card invitations and concertinas. It will fold really well and keeps its shape, the mid white colour also means colours print vividly and crisp.
This is a really popular choice for anyone who likes texture, the hammer texture has large imprints and an embossed effect in one side, appearing as almost a divot pattern.
Typically this is used on rustic or vintage invitations to give it more depth, it works brilliantly on more minimal designs, but I wouldn’t recommend it for foiling, folding or designs with lots of colour due to the texture, it is also typically a little thinner and is only textured on one side.
Deckled egde card is a little different in that it is actually made of cotton, making it a great eco friendly, sustainable choice. The edges of the paper are actually torn away to give it a ripped look which is a great look for vintage, romantic, timeless or gothic weddings.
This cardstock is only available in limited shades, but works great when paired with frayed ribbons or wax seals. It is a thicker cardstock but will fold lovely so can be used on pockets and folded invitations.
This is the most popular choice for rustic weddings, it has a real woody look to it with a very slight lined grain, it does come double sided and is versatile so can be used on most invitation styles. The dark colour does limit printing so steer away from too much colour as they will always print darker and less bright. The cardstock is a great choice for eco friendly, sustainable weddings, as well as being recyclable it is actually made from recycled card itself.
Whilst the name indicates a shine, this card has a very gentle sheen in the light making it an excellent choice for classy, regal weddings. The card comes in a range of colour options and works great on most styles of invitation including folded and pocketfolds. With it having a coating, this card is a little harder to print on and so the colour isn’t quite as bold, for this reason I recommend sticking to simpler, more minimal designs, or maybe using as a backing card instead.
This is a great option for pocketfold invitations to add a shimmer to a plainer design, or for use on bands and backing but is not suitable for foiling.
This is a beautiful choice for any classy wedding. The linen effect is almost a lined pattern with scoring marks front and back. For anyone who loves a texture, this one has a soft, cotton like feel almost like canvas, giving it depth and a luxurious touch.
Surprisingly, ink adheres really well to this card and colours will appear bright and clear, so it is ideal for most types of invitation. It can be folded to create pockets and other invites and it is also available in a small range of colour options including almond, white, ivory, natural, pink, sage, blue and recycled brown.
This choice is a little more unique. If you’re looking for something more natural looking but that isn’t so common, this may be for you. This texture has a light embossed effect with a more rough pimpled effect. It prints really well so like most others colours and ink adhere well. It is only available in white but it is easy to print a full background colour to really make it stand out.
This is great for making more eco looking stationery, or on invitations with a rustic/minimal look.
All coloured cardstocks come with a natural uncoated grain and are typically a little thinner than whites. All colours are double sided so work great for making colour pockets, using as backing card to give a border or on the inside of white pockets.
The other great way to use colours is to foil text on the card, but try to stick to darker card rather than pastels to make the foil stand out.
Of course you wouldn’t be able to print straight onto this, but it’s an excellent addition to your invitation to either give it a shiny border (this is usually less in cost than foiling) or to add to a band around the outside. Available in a range of colours this can work great to add a touch of class and luxury to your stationery and add that ‘wow’ factor for your guests.
This is one where I always advise the less is more approach. Glitter as much as it can be classy, can very quickly become too much due to how much reflection is produced by the light. Glitter cardstock is non shedding and is a great addition for backing card, as a border or to add to the front of pockets. It does come in a wide range of colours including bronze, rose gold, gold, antique gold/champagne, silver, copper, blue, red, pink, purple, orange, green and more, but they are always bright, so if you’re going for a pastel look, glitter is not the choice for you.
Typically glitter is used on classy weddings, it works especially well when adding jewels, brooches and embellishments to bring out the regal colours. Glitter card however is not recyclable so consider this if you’re looking for a more sustainable stationery suite.
Similar to standard uncoated, this card is not coated with a finish and has a natural grain, only the grain is visually much more noticeable. This can be used in very similar ways to uncoated but be aware that due to the deeper grain colours may appear a little less bright and full.
This card is a great option if you want a quaint texture that’s not too bold and would work well on single prints, folds or pockets, I wouldn’t advise it for foiling however.
Fleck card is another eco friendly, sustainable choice, made of recycled cardstock. The texture is much like uncoated but the card contains flecks of colour from it’s natural state. This would work great on any rustic or garden themed weddings, but I would advise keeping the design minimal.
The beautiful thing about the fleck is that each invitation will be unique as the flecks are always in varying places, giving your stationery a home made feel. Not suitable for foiling.
Vellum is a great choice for modern invitations and can be used in different ways. The favourites are as wraps around an invitation, or as an overlay to a backing card or design. Many mistake vellum for tracing paper but it’s actually a little different, tracing paper is a very thin paper that will tear very easily, it is also more transparent than vellum, and it creases with ease. Vellum has more of a wax-like texture making it thicker and more durable, it does take longer to set ink that usual but when it dries colours tend to be fairly visible.
Vellum is a great option if you’re looking for something modern and clean, whilst colour does print lovely, I’d suggest other cardstocks if you’re wanting a particularly bright design. It also works well for making bands for your invitations or as envelopes, but I would advise not using it as the material for a pocketfold itself due to it being semi transparent.
White grain is very unique, similar to the fleck it has natural marks throughout the grain giving it neutral colour spots almost like a speckled or dotted effect. This is a great choice again for those more rustic or natural weddings and always adds a little depth and reduce plain areas on minimal designs.
Although versatile in folding and using for backing or borders, it isn't an ideal choice for foiling.
And finally, leather grain. This is definitely a bit more out there but does give your stationery a unique look. This texture has almost lines and creases through it as wrinkled leather would, but despite the name, it is made from wood like most others.
This particular cardstock works great on single cards and folds and I’d suggest using more minimal designs to allow the texture to stand out, but like many other textures I wouldn’t advise this one for foiling.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Now, although there is a lot of choice here, I hope this list gives you a little more clarity on what the card will do for your stationery and how best to use it. In general my top tip is to think about the look you want to achieve first, this can rule many out quite quickly and give you less options, making your decision a little easier.
If you are struggling though, book your free consultation with me to discuss the options in more detail and to look at some examples.
Alternatively, you can download my bespoke stationery creation guide or contact me to purchase a sample pack.
Happy creating!