# What is the weight of reular business cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248 "2005-11-22T15:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Angels\_Flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@Angels\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angels_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/1 "2005-11-22T15:31:53Z")
I’m talking about the standard white cards from a print shop or lithographer’s that you find in the card holders of bank tellers, etc. I.E., nothing fancy or photographic or magnetic, just the regular white cards. I want to print something the same thickness, and the “business card” paper meant for printers is way too thin. And I know my printer can handle much thicker, because it has a nearly flat paper path and I can print on cards cut from file-folders. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/2 "2005-11-22T15:35:46Z")
AFAIK, they are typically printed on 110-pound card stock. ---
**Author:** ![Angels\_Flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@Angels\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angels_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/3 "2005-11-22T15:44:57Z")
Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/4 "2005-11-22T16:03:37Z")
> [@Angels'Flight](#): > > I want to print something the same thickness, and the “business card” paper meant for printers is way too thin. Yeah, what’s up with that? I like the cards I designed and printed on my own printer, but the stock is too flimsy. Is there somewhere that sells 110lb laserperf business card stock? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/5 "2005-11-22T16:13:34Z")
Probably not. That weight of paper stock isn’t going to work in all printers - especially not consumer-grade printers. A lot of inkjets take a fairly tight u-turn that the heavy stock won’t be able to navigate, and in laser printers, some fusers aren’t going to be hot enough to properly fuse the toner to the heavy stuff, and the toner will flake off. So, rather than produce something that will only frustrate people, they don’t sell it. If your printer can handle heavy stock, you’ll just have to do some practicing with a paper cutter to cut the cards out yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/6 "2005-11-22T16:14:41Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Is there somewhere that sells 110lb laserperf business card stock? I’d be extremely surprised, 110# is so stiff I don’t think it would curl properly in a laserprinter. Also, I’m not sure is laser toner would set right, but maybe it could. Most business cards are actually printed on a press, not on a desktop machine. –Cliffy, former business-card salesman ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/7 "2005-11-22T16:20:42Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > If your printer can handle heavy stock, you’ll just have to do some practicing with a paper cutter to cut the cards out yourself. You can get a decent-quality rotary blade track cutter like [this one](http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=85696&cmArea=SEARCH) that makes straight, clean cuts easily. Just set up your layout software to space the cards a little, to allow for the printing of registration marks, which will be cut away when the cards are complete. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/8 "2005-11-22T16:22:48Z")
I’ve used 110# stock in various HP DeskJet printers w/o problems. I checked the specs and that was the upper limit, though. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/9 "2005-11-22T16:25:18Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Yeah, what’s up with that? I like the cards I designed and printed on my own printer, but the stock is too flimsy. Is there somewhere that sells 110lb laserperf business card stock? I think most business card stock is 80lb not 110lb. FWIW most laser printers are likely to have a _very_ difficult time with feeding 110 lb (or even 80) stock. Possibly a rugged ink jet might be able to handle it. The highest lb bond paper stock usually handled in big office lasers is around 60 lbs or so and around 30 lbs max in smaller personal lasers. I have forced small lasers to feed heavier bond stock, but they often jam when doing this. . > [@](#): > > 10 pt. 2 Sided Coated Card Stock White - Semi-Gloss > Comes in: White > Size: Available in 8.5"x11", 11"x17" > Description: Available for all printing method. This stock is similar in weight as an 80 lb. card stock. 90% of all business cards are printed on this weight of stock. > > 12 pt. 2 Sided Coated Card Stock White - Semi-Gloss > Comes in: White > Size: Available in 8.5"x11", 11"x17" > Description: Available for all printing method. This stock is similar in weight as an 100-110 lb. card stock. Has a thick feel. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weight-of-reular-business-cards/332248/10 "2005-11-22T20:07:30Z")
On my HP Laserjet 1000 printer, I just open the back of the printer for envelope handling and the card stock comes out the back without bending.