What is the Difference Between Colored Cardstock and Colored Construction Paper

What is the Difference Between Colored Cardstock and Colored Construction Paper? If you are just getting started in the crafting world, you might be wondering what is the difference between colored cardstock and colored construction paper? Though both come in a variety of colors and are typically used for crafts, there are some major differences. Construction paper is typically used in classrooms and on kids craft projects. It’s not much thicker than regular paper and has a fibrous, rough feel. Cardstock on the other hand is the grown up version of construction paper. It’s much thicker than construction paper and much higher quality. In fact, the quality is probably the biggest difference between cardstock and construction paper. You can stamp, paint, fold, glue and die cut cardstock with professional looking results, whereas the same techniques on construction paper would bleed and soak into the paper much more and the risk of tearing while folding is much greater. Cardstock is generally 60#-

100# weight. What are the different types of cardstock? Cardstock can be generalized into three main categories; smooth cardstock, textured cardstock, and specialty cardstock. Why use smooth colored cardstock? Smooth cardstock is just that, smooth, and can have a matte finish or a glossy finish. Some of the most popular brands of smooth cardstock are Bazzill Smoothies and Bazzill Card Shoppe, American Crafts Smooth Cardstock and Neenah. These smooth cardstocks are great for stamping, painting and die cutting as the smooth texture makes more crisp stamped edges and clean cutting. Smooth cardstock is also great for crafts that involve printing with a printer.

Why use textured cardstock paper? Textured cardstock has some sort of raised or lightly embossed design built into the paper. The most common types of textured cardstock paper have an orange peel texture, linen texture or crosshatch texture. Lots of crafters prefer these textured cardstocks because they have an elegant feel and give projects more depth and dimension. Some of the most popular brands of textured cardstock are Bazzill Mono and Fourz, and American Crafts Precision Cardstock. Textured cardstock is great for layering elements on your projects and cuts well with metal dies and with electronic die cutting machines like Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker. You can check out a guide for which of these papers cuts best here. Can you stamp on textured cardstock? Textured cardstock paper is typically not the best choice for rubber stamping, as the ink adheres unevenly when it’s stamped. Even though textured

cardstock has a very subtle pattern, it is still an uneven surface and you will not get a crisp stamped image. Can you paint on textured cardstock? You can paint on textured cardstock, but you would want to use this in very specific circumstances. The subtle texture will cause some blending issues and much like the stamping, you will not be able to get crisp images. But abstract painted backgrounds do work. Can you print on textured cardstock? While you can indeed print on textured cardstock, the results you get will vary depending on the degree of texture on the paper, and the type of printer you are using. Very subtle orange peel or linen textures will perform much better than deeper textures like those found on Bazzill Fourz. Additionally, you’ll likely have better results with inkjet printers versus laser printers. Laser printers work by laying ink right on the surface of the paper and it is immediately dry. Inkjet printers work by shooting ink onto the paper and the ink has time to soak into the grooves of textured paper giving you much better results.