I need better white card stock
 

I make cards for Operation Write Home. I do buy the ivory card stock from Staples. I've heard their white card stock is awful. I was using GP from Walmart, now I hear that isn't heavy enough. I live way out in the country, no stores near me. What should I buy, even maybe online? Does Office Depot make a nice heavy white card stock? I would have to buy online. Thanks for the help. ;)

Tara

IMO - if you're needing to buy online, definitely give the Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury cardstock a try. Both the white and the ivory come in two weights - an 80 lb. "layering" weight and a 120 lb. "base" weight. Both are fantastic with a very smooth finish. The white is a lovely bright white. I tend to use the 120 lb. for card bases, whether I'm making a one-layer card or if I'm adding several layers of cardstock and/or designer paper. I use the 80 lb. for stamping or printing images to color.

I don't work for Gina K., but I've used a lot of her cardstock for cards for Operation Write Home. :)

Another vote for the Gina K - I've given cards made with it to people who don't make cards and even they have noticed the difference. It makes the card feel extra-rich and it will stand up to pretty much any kind of embellishment you want to add.

I need better card stock
 

I used to use GP then I tried Staples and I really like it. I have been asked on occasion what card stock I use.I don't think there is a difference between
Staples ca in Canada and the U.S. But make sure you get card stock and not cover stock which is usually side by side at least it is here.

It's 110 pound weight and has a nicer finish and color than GP, something I never noticed until I had them side by side. you will get many differing opinions here and may be asked what you are using your cs for i.e. card base , colouring etc which will make a difference.

I have been told that SU paper is not the cs you want if you use copics for example. Good luck I am sure you will find the answer here from the generous people on this forum.

I've used this cardstock from Sam's Club for years. It is 110 lb weight and I like it a lot. I'm on a budget, and you get 250 sheets for a little over $7.

Card Stock - Sam's Club

I use either PTI Stampers Select White or Heavenly White 100lb from Paper Temptress .

I would not recommend the GP paper for card bases. I bought (quite a bit) of this GP paper --> "GP - Image Plus, Card Stock Paper, 110 lb., 8-1/2” x 11”, 1 Pack - 250 Sheets" for card bases at the recommendation of someone on SCS and, no offense intended, I don't like it for card bases at all - it's just not heavy enough. I found it to be only slightly more heavy than the cardstock paper that I have from Walmart. So I have relinquished my GP paper to be stamped on, used in layering, or used when I make my own background papers.

So, still on the search for a good heavy paper for card bases, I purchased, and LOVE, Neenah 110 lb. cover (I got solar white) and it is now my standard for quality card bases. This paper is excellent quality with great 'body' and is very smooth.

The difference in the quality between the GP and the Neenah is very obvious.

Gp is not heavy enough for card bases..Gina Kay or PTI both have great card stock weights. ~~~

The PTI is a great super heavy card stock for bases. The white seems bright enough but I don't like mixing it with my Stampin'Up Whisper White as the layers. There is a noticeable difference ( at least to my eye ). The whites just don't "match"....the SU layer ends up making the PTI base look like it has a little bit of gray in it.

I have the GinaK Designs white in the layering weight, and it seems closer in color to the SU white....I've been wanting to try the heavy base weight. I have some of GinaK colored card stock and it is very heavy and sturdy for bases and is listed at a lower weight than the white.

I think either of these would make you happy. The only drawback is the price. If you are making large quantities of cards for Operation Write Home it can seem expensive. I make cards for OWH but not as many as I could if the paper cost per sheet was lower.

When I see these "best cardstock" threads, or "best anything" threads, I feel compelled to be a little bit of a devil's advocate.

I always want anyone new to this hobby to know that there are as many opinions as there are products in the stamping/cardmaking world. Lots of the cardstock recommended here is very fine quality and they are great products to use if you can afford them.

I especially want to speak to those who may have limited funds to spend on this hobby. Do not feel if you can't afford the best quality that your cards cannot be lovely, or be appreciated. We all can aspire to better things, but sometimes the budget just doesn't cover it.

I use the inexpensive 110 lb cardstock that Sam's Club sells. My cards hold up well enough to go through the mail, be opened and appreciated, and stand up on a dresser or table.

I love making cards, and I love sending them to friends and family, who seem thrilled to get them. They may not be made with the finest materials, but they do come with the finest intentions and thoughts!

Okay, stepping off soapbox now.:)

Hear, hear, Bugga!!!

I posted earlier about the Gina K base weight. I love it - but I'll be honest. When I make "thank you" cards for my son to send, I use the less expensive cardstock from Walmart. Those cards don't have tons of layers or embellishments (they need to go thru the mail easily) and they're not something that the recipient is likely to want to display. He's just gotten it into his head that he can't send a store-bought thank you card anymore because mine are better, and I don't see the point in using my premium card bases for them.

(Yes, he's spoiled. And he's 25 years old. And I can hardly believe that I actually have a son that age who not only sends handwritten thank yous, but is picky about the card.)

Sounds very NOT-spoiled to me. You've done a good job. A guy who actually sends cards, and thank you cards at that!

I agree with a lot of what Cobby said. The PTI *is* very sturdy, but it definitely has a gray tinge to it compared to Whisper White and to Gina K's Pure Luxury White. I prefer the brighter white of the Gina K. cardstock.

Both the PTI and Gina K. cardstocks work well when coloring with Copic markers.

I like PTI's white cardstock for base as well as for die cutting and stamping on the pieces. I like the GP that WM sells for the inside of my cards when I use a colored cardstock as the base.

Bugga you know I agree with you whole heartedly on this point! I sometimes feel that people are intimating that if you're not using PTI, or Gina K, SU that our cards are inferior. I think both yours and my cards are just as nice as ones made with the other cardstock. Only difference is, we're smart enough to save some money on our hobbies. :) Its not on how much you spend, its about how much heart you put into it...

I make cards for OWH and my Church's Relief Society.

The white cardstock I use when it's the card base is CTMH's White Daisy. It's really sturdy and holds up well to coloring. The Relief Society has me do CAS cards for them.

But when I do colored cardstock for my card base I use whatever white cardstock I have handy.

My recommendation is if you think the white cardstock you're using isn't what you'd consider quality for the card base you could always use it for inside the card. Or even for stamping your sentiments on.

Good luck in finding a white cardstock that's right for you.

I'm a huge fan of PTI's white. I prefer to shop elsewhere when I can, so I finally found Neenah 110 at a decent price and I actually prefer it.

Gina K's white is probably my favorite of all, but I just can't use it. It is so dry where we live (humidity hovers between 4-7% most of the year) that no matter how carefully and how much I score it, it almost always cracks. I don't think that is true of her colored paper. I think I used it the other day without a problem.

So, my vote is that if you can find Neenah at an affordable price, go for it.

Otherwise, use what you can and no worries. Truly. If someone is complaining about the quality of the GIFT you're giving them in the cards you make, I'd reconsider if I wanted to give that person cards.

Gina K pure luxury cardstock hands down. There are weights - a heavy base weight and a layering weight. You cannot beat the base weight for card bases. It is also the best "white" color I have found, a very nice pure white.

Thanks for all your help. My husband says the lady that runs OWH expects perfection. I don't make very embellished cards. I will go to Sam's and see what they have. I'll use the GP paper for friends, family and AnyHero thank you notes.

I have sent several boxes to OWH and some cards were better than others. Sometimes cards may not come out the way we exactly like but some one else will think it is great. But they do have certain things at OWH that they stress, and a sturdy card base is one. If the service man/woman is out is the desert and cannot write on a table(maybe only their knee) then a good card base will make it easier. And they want you to line darker card bases with lighter paper and I was doing thet on one side then I had a DUH moment which I'm sure some one has already thought of and started putting white paper on both sides for more writing space(using thinner cardstock for that). And another thing I never thought was they mentioned on the OWH website is they may only have a pencil so to line even some kraft card bases would help. They may seem picky but thier heart is in the right place. :D

I have both Gina K and PTI heavy cardstocks. I use them for special personal cards. I buy the 110 lb, 250 count GP from Sams 6 reams at a time. I make a high volume of cards for the two churches I support and the soldiers. I simply cannot afford to use the more expensive cardstocks for the volume of cards I make. I usually take the reams to Office Depot or Office Max to have the reams cut in half. It is a huge time saver and only costs about $1.00 per ream to have it cut.
Blessings

Use the card that you like the best of what you can afford.

I so agree with you Neenah Classic Crest Solar White or Avalanche White are my staple for white card stock. I'm not sure where to buy it online, but I saw a thread about buying paper online in this forum earlier.