Which paper suits your flyer, letter or card?
Grammage is mass per area in g/m² (ISO 536). Thickness, stiffness and feel are separate properties that grammage alone does not determine, so the right paper for a flyer, letter or card is found by comparing real samples.
What does grammage tell you?
Grammage is mass per unit area, expressed in grams per square metre (g/m²). One square metre of 100 g/m² paper therefore weighs 100 g. ISO 536 covers its measurement. The value refers to an area, not to an arbitrary individual sheet. Source: ISO 536:2019
Thickness is a different measurement. ISO 534 describes the distance between the two paper surfaces under a defined pressure. Thickness and grammage allow the specific volume to be determined. Grammage alone therefore cannot specify a fixed thickness in millimetres. Source: ISO 534:2011, definitions 3.1–3.5
Stiffness is not another word for grammage either. For paperboard, thickness and construction are among the factors involved; Holmen Iggesund explains these relationships in its technical manual. Source: Holmen Iggesund, “Laws of nature”
Judge the feel using samples
A paper family may offer smooth and rough surfaces. Mondi lists these as different textures of its PERGRAPHICA papers. Our suggestion: compare two physical samples for your intended use instead of describing the desired feel solely through a higher g/m² value. Source for texture options: Mondi
Higher grammage is not a quality rating here. This guide makes no promise of a more premium impression, more responses or higher sales.
Typical paper weights by use
No standard assigns a grammage to each use; ISO 536 only defines how it is measured. The values below are typical market values, not a standard: supplier ranges and recommendations plus a reference work. They give orientation, not a requirement, and are no judgement of quality. Postal minimums for cards follow in the next section.
| Use | Typical grammage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cover letter | 80–120 g/m² | 80 g/m² is common office paper. For double-sided printing, suppliers name at least 100 g/m². |
| Insert and flyer | 90–170 g/m² coated paper | Mailing inserts start at 90 g/m², flyers are often 130 or 170 g/m²; one supplier recommends at least 170 g/m² for flyers. |
| Postcard | 250–400 g/m² | Coated paper or postcard board; above the postal minimums for standard cards, while large cards have higher limits (see below). |
| Envelope | 75–120 g/m² | DL envelopes are usually 80 g/m²; lettershop examples also name 75 and 90 g/m². Postal rules require at least 70 g/m² (Germany standard and compact, Austria); in Germany, large letters above C5 need at least 100 g/m², windows without film at least 120 g/m². |
Sources for the market values, as of 23 October 2026: supplier ranges for flyers, letter paper, postcards and enveloped mailings, and the general overview in Wikipedia: Grammatur. Supplier information is not an independent comparison. The envelope minimums are in the Deutsche Post guide (sections 4.1 and 6.1) and the terms of Österreichische Post (section 2.3.1).
Three practical paper choices
The following scenarios are our own planning examples. Grammages are options to compare, not binding production specifications. Printers’ product ranges document the paper options mentioned; samples and the quotation will help establish suitability for your job.
| Scenario | Options to compare | How to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Promotional flyer, 148 × 210 mm, unfolded | 130 and 170 g/m² coated paper. Both are offered, for example, in SAXOPRINT’s flyer range. | If weight is the priority, check 130 g/m² first. Compare both samples with your artwork and intended handling. For the same area, the 170 g/m² option weighs more. |
| Letter, 210 × 297 mm, in an envelope | Compare 80 and 100 g/m² offset paper. SAXOPRINT recommends at least 100 g/m² for double-sided letterheads. | For a single-sided letter, sample 80 g/m² first. For double-sided printing, check readability on both sides of a printed sample and compare 100 g/m². Weigh the envelope and additional inserts separately. |
| Invitation as a flat card, 148 × 210 mm, in an envelope | 250 and 300 g/m² coated paper as a pair of samples; both appear in SAXOPRINT’s card range. | Use this pair for a physical comparison, not as a universal invitation recommendation. Check handling, surface and any writing requirements. If the card will be folded, agree the finishing separately. |
The companies named are technical and product sources only. Their inclusion does not indicate participation in the Mailingbid marketplace.
Check paper and weight
Choose a sample option. Calculated sheet weight is area in m² × grammage in g/m², a direct conversion of grammage. Ink, processing and packaging are excluded from this calculation.
Our calculation for a 148 × 210 mm sheet: area × grammage. Bars show mass, not thickness, stiffness or quality. Ink and finishing are excluded.
Calculated weight of one sheet: 4.04 g.
Check this paper option in the weight calculator. Add the complete mailpiece there and transfer its specifications into a request.
Postcards: minimum paper weight set by the post
A card has to be stiffer than a sheet of letter paper. The postal operators require minimums that a sheet of 90 to 120 g/m² does not reach in any of the four countries. The table applies to cards without an envelope. As of 23 October 2026; the postal operator's terms are authoritative.
| Country and item | Minimum grammage | Size and notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, postcard sent as a single item | 150 to 500 g/m² | 14 to 23.5 × 9 to 12.5 cm; the length is at least 1.4 times the width. | Deutsche Post: Briefe in Deutschland |
| Germany, machine-processable card (also Dialogpost card) | up to C6: 150 g/m²; up to DL: 170 g/m²; larger: 200 g/m² | At most 500 g/m². Large cards: up to C5 at least 250 g/m², larger at least 300 g/m². | Deutsche Post: guide to machine-processable letters, sections 4.2 and 6.2 |
| Austria | up to A6: 160 g/m²; above A6: 200 g/m² | At most 500 g/m²; maximum size 235 × 162 mm. | Österreichische Post: requirements for machine processing, section 2.4 |
| Czech Republic (dopisnice, pohlednice) | 180 g/m² | Board with a whiteness of at least 78%; sizes 90 × 140 to 105 × 148 mm. | Česká pošta: Rady a tipy |
| Slovakia (lístok) | 200 g/m² | Board or sufficiently stiff paper in white or light pastel; 14 × 9 to 23.5 × 12 cm, at most 20 g. | Slovenská pošta: Poštové podmienky, sections 2.5 and 3.1 |
Germany: two different statements. Deutsche Post's product page gives a flat 150 g/m² for postcards. Its guide for machine-processable items grades the minimum by format instead: 150, 170 or 200 g/m². For planning, use the stricter grading. Clarify with your lettershop or the post how your card will be sent.
If you mail to several countries, each card must meet the value of its destination; check format and grammage together. Postal terms change, so check the current version before production.
What belongs in the paper details of a request?
These details describe your paper choice unambiguously for a quotation:
- Use: flyer, letter or card; loose, folded or in an envelope.
- Size: width and height of the flat sheet and the required finished size.
- Paper: stock and grammage; where relevant, a specific manufacturer’s product or a sample for approval.
- Surface: which samples do you prefer? Will the item later be written on, stamped or personalised?
- Print and finishing: agree single- or double-sided printing, folding and further processes with the printer.
- Mailpiece: record all components, quantity per recipient and destination country; check the finished weight on a sample.
Fictional sample brief: “Letter, 210 × 297 mm, 100 g/m² offset paper, printed on both sides, for inserting into envelopes. Please confirm a printed sample and suitability for the planned personalisation.”
Sources and context
Technical review: 28 September 2026. Added on 23 October 2026: typical grammages (market values from supplier ranges and a reference work) and postal minimums for postcards (Deutsche Post, Österreichische Post, Česká pošta, Slovenská pošta). Standard definitions: ISO 536 and ISO 534; material relationships: Holmen Iggesund; specific texture and product examples: Mondi and SAXOPRINT. Primary sources are linked alongside the relevant statements. Manufacturer information is not an independent quality comparison.
The text, scenarios, comparison table and list were written independently. No third-party images, tables or extended passages were reproduced.