Weight

The weight of card stock significantly affects the print quality and feed reliability of the stock. For more information, see Paper design factors.

Not all printers are able to print on cover stock. Cover stock is usually thicker and not able to make the turns in the printer paper path, resulting in paper jams and misfeeds. Also, when using a laser printer, toner is pulled onto the paper through an electrical charge. If the paper is too thick, then there may not be enough voltage to pull the toner onto the paper properly, resulting in poor print quality.

Depending on your printer model, material thicker than 0.30 mm (0.012 in.) may present feed reliability problems, and material thicker than 0.17 mm (0.007 in.) may reduce print quality. Contact your supplier to determine the weight of any card stock you currently use.

For more information about the card stock weights your printer supports, see the individual printer specifications in this document.