Can anyone suggest a heavy base cardstock?
 

Ok I have been using those pre packaged base cards from various stores some of them are ok some not so great but I feel like I need a sturdier base card to take the weight of the embellishments.
Also something that can is clean to stamp straight on to for simple cards. Can anyone recommend a good base card stock would prefer it to be somewhere I can buy from a local store I don't have much time to order online.

Thanks in advance.

Try GinaK's Pure Luxury 100# cardstock.

I like Neenah Classic Crest solar white...in 110 pound cover stock. I buy locally, but it is from a paper distributor, so that makes a difference.

Can't help you with local, but I can second Gina K. Her cardstock is awesome and so is her service!

I love Stampin' Up's cardstock - love the colors and they all coordinate with the designer series paper!

Bazzill recently came out with colored 110 lb cardstock in 8 /12 x 11 that is carried in some LSS's it's smooth not textured and amazing for stamping and die cutting. You might call around. I know our LSS carries the Neenah 110 lb as well. Some stores that do invites also have heavy weight paper.

If you have a Sam's Club membership, I highly recommend Image Plus cardstock. It is 110 lb. You can get 250 sheets for only $7.23. I use it for card bases, and also for stamping and coloring images.

It is available in the Sam's stores and also online:

GP - Image Plus Card Stock, 110lb, 8-1/2 x 11", White - 250 Sheets - Sam's Club

I'm another fan of Gina K's luxury cardstock.

I just ordered 4 packs of this paper based on your recommendation.

I have been trying to buy the Neenah paper online for a few days now, but I'm just not willing (yet) to pay the prices that I'm finding. What I'm seeing is that if the paper is a good price, the shipping is way too much or if the shipping is reasonable, the paper price is way too much LOL

I also got a floor mat for under my desk, so trying to kill 2 birds with one stone on this order ;)

Great! I hope you like it as well as I do. I'm lucky there is a Sam's Club store really close to me, so I can just pick it up whenever I need it.

I'll let you know how it all turns out :)

Seconding the new Bazzill - it's a very good base weight and a good finish for stamping on, and comes in quite a wide range of colours.

buggaink, Thanks for the tip. I am headed to Sam's today with that paper newly added to my list. I love, love, love SU, but have felt their whisper white cardstock stamps beautifully, but just wasn't heavy enough. I'm reserve the SU for layering and the Image Plus for the base.

I use Gina's heavyweight for white bases and PTI for cream and SU and PTI for colored bases. I really want to try the new Bazzill, but no stores anywhere near me carry it. Oregon State University is here and there are quite a few print shops in town I keep meaning to check out.

I too live close to a Sam's club. I will have to give their paper a try. At that price I can afford to let my DGK's use it for their projects and keep my other papers Flourishes classic white and PTI for myself. Plus I will have an alternative if I don't want to use my "good" stuff.

PS, I am not saying the Sam's paper is not good stuff!!

I am not impressed with the Sam's paper or the GP at WalMart. I do buy it, though. Like Sharon, my grandkids stamp on it, or I use it for their art projects. I do my mounting and index cards with it. The price is great, but the weight is moderate and it doesn't have a high enough "white index" for me.

Of course I'm spoiled by my Neenah!

Dianne, I understand that everyone has their favorite paper, but I wonder about your comment that the "weight is moderate" on the Sam's paper? It says that it is 110 lbs, which is as heavy as a lot of the more expensive cardstock.

I wish I completely understood how paper and cardstock are rated and explained. It seems to be a complex topic...with the number weight designation depending on the type of paper (index, card stock, cover stock, etc).

I took a sheet (8.5x11)of Stampin' UP! whisper white, the Sam's Club Georgia Pacific and Papertrey Ink White and weighed each one on my electronic kitchen scale. (yes, I know, that weight has nothing to do with the "110 lb." designation, but it was the best way I could come up with to compare them.)

Sam's club = 12 gm
SU = 13 gm
PTI = 17 gm

oh thanks so much for that do you know if it is better than the 110 you get at Walmart?? I tried that and it seems not quite thik enough. I do not have a memebership but I cn get a day pass at Sams :)

I'm confused. Gina's website says it is 80 lb. Couldn't find the 100# you mentioned here. I want to order this at some point, as I am not all that happy with the SU whisper white (but love all their colored cardstock). I am in Canada so I need to order $50.00 worth of product to save on shipping but want to make sure of what I am ordering.

Shirl

Not all 110 pound papers are equal.

110 pound is called the "basis weight" for the paper. Here's a definition:
Basis Weight
The basis weight of a paper is the designated fixed weight of 500 sheets,
measured in pounds, in that paper's basic sheet size.
It is important to note that the "basic sheet size" is not the same
for all types of paper.

Here's sheet sizes for a few types of paper:
Tag stock: 24x36 inches
Index stock: 25.5x30.5 inches
Cover stock: 20x26 inches

Do you see how tag stock is thinner than cover stock, since the weight of 500 sheets is the same (assuming 110 pound for each) but the sheet size is smallest in cover stock?

So, 110 pound cover is thicker than 110 pound index, which is thicker than 110 pound tag. BTW, cardstock is a generic term for all these types of papers.

Another factor figuring into the equation is how much compression is used when rolling. Higher compression gives a harder, stiffer paper, while lower compression gives a softer feel.

So, since I use 110 pound cover for my card bases, they are stiffer than the GP 110 pound papers which are index weight. The index is thinner because the same amount of pulp was rolled into a larger sheet.


It would be easier to compare papers if we rated them like they do in Europe by expressing weight as grams per square meter (of a single sheet). If you compare the papers above by using the weights in grams per square meter, you discover that:
100 pound tag = 90 pound index = 60 pound cover

Or...my 110 pound cover would be approximately equal to about 185 pound index stock.

I hope that is clearer than mud. ;)

Gina K has 120 pound base weight as well as 80 pound layering weight. The white and ivory base weight are on the same page as the colors.

I stand corrected. It's 120# weight. which very heavy and good cardstock weight. This is for the White & Ivory Cardstock



All other is 100# weight.


Sorry for the confusion. :(Heavy Base Weight Colors

Last year, DH gave me a gift card for Gina K, so I could FINALLY buy some of the 120# white cardstock. It is utterly fabulous! It feels good, it's hefty, and it's wonderful to work with. Since orders over $50 were shipping free, I loaded up on the cs, and bought a Bow Easy. I highly recommend the Gina K. I've used a lot of the others mentioned here, but for a card base- nothing equals the Gina K 120#.

Diane, thank you so much for the explanation! I'd searched on-line and read lots of different information, but never understood the "why" behind the different types of paper. When you explained about the same amount of pulp being rolled into different size sheets...it all made sense.

Thanks again!

Diane, you explained it great! If only the US rated their papers like they do in Europe, there would be a lot less confusion!

I'm beginning to see some companies include the gsm, so there's hope after all!

This site does a great job of explaining the differences in paper weight: Weights Of Paper - Paper Stock By Weight, Thickness, GSM

Thanks Diane, I see it now.

Blessings,
Shirl

The 120# White will not bleed through to the other side no matter copics or anything else and I have tested but Gina will tell you the Ivory will but if you want a one layer card with lots of color the 120# white heavy base weight is the absoulute ticket!:razz:

I am currently using PTI for my card bases, but when I need to order more, I'm going to buy the Gina K 120 lb cardstock.

I can't remember if I've asked you this before or not, but did you used to belong to Delphi stamping forum (DRS) years ago? There was a Queen of Inkland on there and I always enjoyed her. I was Mags (Magnolia)

Oh original poster! I love SU paper, and I use Gina K for colored pencil work too!