Print paper guide: GSM, art card, art paper, finishes and Pantone vs CMYK

What GSM means

GSM is grams per square metre. It tells you how heavy one square metre of a paper is, and it is the number Malaysian printers quote when they list paper. A higher GSM usually means a thicker and stiffer sheet. It is not an exact measure of thickness, because coated paper is denser than uncoated paper of the same weight. If thickness matters, for example for a box that must stand on a shelf, ask the printer for a physical sample.

Paper types you will be offered

Paper	Surface	Typical use
Art paper	Coated, gloss or matt	Flyers, posters, brochure inside pages, leaflets
Art card	Coated, gloss or matt, heavier	Brochure covers, name cards, hang tags, folding boxes
Simili (woodfree)	Uncoated	Letterheads, forms, notepads, anything written on
Ivory board and other paperboard	Coated on the printed side	Folding cartons for food, cosmetics and supplements
Kraft	Uncoated brown or white	Paper bags, sleeves, natural-look labels
Sticker paper	Coated or uncoated, with adhesive back	Product labels, seals

Coated paper gives sharper photos and brighter colour because the ink sits on the surface. Uncoated paper absorbs ink, so colours print softer and darker, but you can write on it with a pen.

GSM by use

These are common starting points. Your printer may stock slightly different weights.

Item	Paper	GSM
Flyer or leaflet	Art paper	105 to 157
Poster	Art paper	128 to 157
Brochure inside pages	Art paper, often matt	128 to 157
Brochure or company profile cover	Art card	250 to 310
Name card	Art card	310 to 360
Letterhead	Simili	80 to 100
Menu, laminated	Art card	260 to 310
Folding box	Art card or ivory board	300 to 400

Shipping cartons and heavier boxes use corrugated board instead. Corrugated board is specified by flute size and board grade, not by a single GSM, so let your box maker recommend the build from the product’s weight.

For brochures, a heavier cover over lighter pages folds better and keeps the booklet flat. Our brochure design cost guide covers what the design side costs.

Finishes

Finishes are applied after printing. Each one adds cost and production time, so choose them for a reason.

Finish	What it does	Good for
Matt lamination	Thin plastic film, low glare, soft feel	Name cards, boxes, covers
Gloss lamination	Thin plastic film, shiny, deeper colours	Photo-heavy flyers, food packs
Soft-touch lamination	Velvet-feel film	Premium boxes and covers
Spot UV	Clear gloss coating on selected areas	Logos and patterns against a matt background
Hot stamping (foil)	Metallic or coloured foil pressed into the sheet	Logos and titles on premium packs
Emboss and deboss	Raised or pressed-in shapes	Logos on name cards and boxes
Die-cut	Custom shape or window cut by a steel die	Boxes, hang tags, shaped cards

Spot UV and foil need a separate artwork layer, so tell your designer early. Lamination also changes how colours look, so approve the printer proof on the laminated stock where possible.

CMYK vs RGB

RGB (red, green, blue) mixes light and is what screens use. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) mixes ink and is what most full-colour printing uses. Screens can show bright greens, blues and oranges that CMYK ink cannot reproduce, so a colour that looks vivid on your phone may print duller.

For print:

1. Build print files in CMYK, or convert and check before sending.
2. Use 300 dpi images at the size they will print.
3. Add bleed, usually 3mm on each side, so the trim does not leave white edges.
4. Keep text inside the safe area, away from the trim and folds.

Pantone vs CMYK

Pantone is a colour matching system of premixed spot inks, each with a code such as a number followed by C for coated or U for uncoated paper. The printer mixes that exact ink instead of building the colour from four process inks.

	CMYK	Pantone (spot)
How the colour is made	Dots of four inks combined	One premixed ink
Colour consistency between print runs	Varies with press and paper	More consistent
Colour range	Limited by the four inks	Includes colours CMYK cannot reach, such as some oranges and metallics
Best for	Photos and full-colour artwork	Logos, brand colours, one or two-colour jobs
Cost	Standard	Extra ink and set-up on offset presses

Digital presses, which most short runs use, usually print in CMYK and approximate Pantone colours. If an exact brand colour matters, ask whether the job will run offset with spot ink, and compare the proof against a printed Pantone guide, not your screen.

A full brand guide lists each brand colour in Pantone, CMYK, RGB and HEX, so every printer and screen starts from the same values.

How we specify paper in packaging projects

For each pack we name the board, GSM, finish and colour mode on the artwork file, and check it against the printer’s proof. For food packs, the paper choice also depends on grease, moisture and shelf conditions, which our food packaging design guide covers.

To start a project, see our product packaging service or marketing collaterals service, or send your brief through the quote form.