23 June 2013

Cardstock Comparison

Hello there, a while back I mentioned that I was looking for an alternative cardstock to Papertrey Ink's Stampers Select white cardstock. I love the cardstock; it is thick, it works well with Copics (in my opinion) and great for stamping too. The only problem is the shipping cost from the US to the UK.

So I decided to go on the hunt for alternatives. I ended up trying out 16 different ones (including the PTI one) with various results. I would like to thank everyone who commented on my post that I put up on my Facebook page giving me suggestions for what to try out. I would also like to thank Maria, Stephanie and Carol for sending me some of their cardstocks to try - really kind of you ladies.

My main purpose was to find a cardstock that could 1. be used for card bases i.e. it had to be thick enough 2. that it was good for stamping and 3. that it worked well with Copic Markers.

Here is what I found out ...


 
So in conclusion I didn't find a cardstock that held up to Papertrey's Stampers Select for the three things I wanted it for. Saying that though, I found I quite liked the Neenah and X-Press It cardstocks for Copic Colouring - shame they didn't come in thicker weights. I like the Simon Says Stamp 120lb, CC Designs Copic Quality and Bazzill Card Shoppe for card bases - they are all nice thicknesses. For an overall cardstock I quite liked the Anna Marie Designs 300gsm and for stamping with block stamps using Hero Arts inks the best cardstock by far was The Glitter Pot's Bleed-Proof Card.  
 
Shame that I couldn't take elements from them all to make one super cardstock!! So as I said in the video I have made an order from Papertrey Ink, it will probably be my last unless they change their shipping. When that supply runs out I am sure I will end up doing this whole process again!
 
I would love to hear your thoughts, what is your favourite cardstock? Thanks so much for visiting me today, sorry it is a long post and a long video but I wanted to be thorough and I know a lot of people were curious to what I found out.

14 comments:

  1. This is really interesting Michelle. Thank you for sharing your results. It's quite surprising how different each type of card is and a shame that the card of your choice is not available in the UK. Maybe by the time your supply has run out there will be something else on the marker which has all the required elements!
    Sue xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maybe a few crafters could get together and share the postage costs - but suppose then there is shipping within UK which is now sadly quite expensive......x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very comprehensive review Michelle, only one I didn't see was the Joanna sheen Elegance satin. The girls at my card group like to use both weights as they match perfectly. I tried the pti in the sample pack and loved the effect I could get with hair but forgot to order last time. A least now you know that pti is the right one for you. Hugs, Amanda x

    ReplyDelete
  4. hiya Michelle, WOW!! you really spent a lot of time researching and I just want to thank you for sharing with us all the differences between them all, stamping, colouring etc ..... I love the marshmallow :) I have never tried the PTI white card, the shipping is out of control. When I by pre made cards, I love the Papermania range (300gsm) lovely quality and it isn't like their old range (Anita's) , I like it for card making. I like neenah for stamping and yes it's too thin for making a card, although I have made a few cards with it and put another panel on front and it worked well. Hope this helps. Oh you can get neenah solar from cutting edge craft and shipping "free" :) :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Michelle

    Great video, have been waiting for this as also looking for alternativs!

    1 for you to try

    Kanban - Superior Stamping card, 300gsm brilliant white Card

    Happy to send you a piece, i dont think it is coated and doesnt squeek!

    Hugs

    Sam x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for sharing with us. I lived in Australia and a big fan of Papertrayink but I too find their shipping is too expensive. Sometime it cost as much as my order does. I am still searching a replacement. Do share with us when you find one. Most important was the thickness >300gsm, smoothness , colour.....also shipping cost? Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing all this info with us. I have used product from Docrafts in the UK, but it was pre-folded cards. Don't know if they have sheets.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Michelle, superb video and such a lot of research ~ shame it didn't result in a comparable card stock to PTI ~ I too find their shipping way excessive. Funny your comment about The Papeterie, I also emailed them and asked for a sample of their stamping card stock and never got a reply ~ not good business! Love Bev xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks so much for taking the time to research and share with us. I too have previously used the Kanban Superior Stamping card 300gsm brilliant white, perhaps worth a try. I bought mine from Hobbycraft but not sure if they stock it anymore.

    I'm still using up my pre-made card bases I've had for years so don't currently use it for making my own but I probably will in the future when my stash has gone so its great to know your opinion.

    If I hear of or find any more on the market I'll let you know :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for taking the time to make such a good comparison video.

    The CS I particularly like is Xerox Colotech Plus which comes in lots of different weights. It's a really good white & works well with Promarkers (I don't know about Copics, I haven't got any). I'm happy to send you some if you want to give it a try.
    Helen
    x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sorry to hear you didnt get a reply from Papeterie, by email. After I recommended them. I always phone them. Ask for Charlotte.
    great to see your conclusions for thsi though. Linda x

    ReplyDelete
  12. I like craftwork cards a4 cardstock in both their digital and basic range. Seems strong enough for card bases and works well with copics. I could try and get some pti for you next time hubby goes to the states on business?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just wanted to comment on a couple of things. Firstly, the gsm of a card is its weight and not its thickness. That is measured in microns and would be so much easier for us! Don't know why it's not used.

    I noticed that every sheet you said squeaked you said it didn't feel as thick as it should. This is most likely because it has a coating and that coating adds weight to the cardstock, hence it has a heavier gsm but doesn't feel as thick as an uncoated card of the same weight.

    Ok, my second point is the cardstock I use is Xerox Colotech Gold. The one I use is 250gsm and might be a bit thin for what you want it for. I very rarely use it for card blanks, But it might come in different weights. I can send you a sheet if you want to try it out. You can contact me through my blog by going to my profile.

    Kathleen Mc xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Have you tried Crafters Companion or Sheenas stamping card. If you would like some I could send some to you. X

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please feel free to leave me a comment. I really appreciate receiving them. Please see my Privacy Policy for details on how your data is used when leaving me a comment.

Please note that if you are commenting as 'unknown' there is no way for me to contact you in the case of you winning something from a blog hop.

Thank you so much :)

End of code