The Berry House

Planning life’s most delightful moments!

5 Cardstock Facts Paper People Know!

A good question we get asked a lot is “What’s cardstock?” Cardstock refers to the thickness of paper. Think of it like thread count in bedding!

choosing card stocks

1. One-ply cardstock is like basic bedding thread count. If you buy a box of notecards from a retailer, it’s probably 1-ply. Our lunch notes and camp notes (see below) are also 1-ply.

2. Two-ply cardstock is the equivalent of luxury bed sheets! It’s twice as thick as 1-ply and feels substantial and special in your hands. It’s what we use for all of our personalized stationery and for invitations to weddings and big events.

3. With 2-ply cardstock, a painted edge on the side is our favorite touch, like on the stationery below! While you can paint the sides of any ply stock, you can see a painted edge much better on thicker cardstock. And brighter colors always show better than lighter ones. When it comes to painted edges, think thicker and brighter!

We also often pair a painted edge with a beveled edge, which means the edge of the invitation has a slight angle. The below photo shows a painted edge with a bevel. We love adding pops of color this way!

4. You can also choose between “bristle” or “cotton” with 2-ply cardstock. Bristle feels smooth to the touch. It’s a modern choice because it absorbs ink really well, so images and patterns look their best. Cotton cardstock is “toothier,” which means you can feel the paper’s fibers under your fingertips. It’s a formal pick for an invite that doesn’t contain images and patterns, but is all letterpressed words.

5. While we love cotton and bristol papers, we also create invitations using different materials. From linens to velvets to seed paper (yes, you can plant it and watch it grow!)—textures are our bag! The gorgeous set, below, was printed on seed paper for a wedding with a vintage garden theme.

seed paper wedding invitation

Thanks for checking in with CBP! Check out our latest wedding invitations and please email info@chereeberry.com to tell us the stationery questions you want answered in a future post!

Xoxo,

Cheree