Guide to Buying Card Blanks
Card blanks are the name given to pre-cut, pre-scored card and are available either ready-folded or flat, for you to fold and crease yourself. They are perfect for quick and easy cards as all you need to do is decorate them. Available in a variety of different shapes, sizes, colours and finishes, it is easy to find the perfect card blank to complement your design. With so much choice though, it can be hard to decide which will best suit your project. Fear not, the Craft Superstore guide to buying card blanks will give you the knowledge to find what you're looking for.
Blank Size Guide
There are standard sizes which are used to produce card blanks. They all have corresponding envelope sizes so be sure to buy the correct size envelope to fit your card when buying separately. We have included here the name of the card blank size as well as the dimensions, which will help when choosing between different brands. Please note the sizes given here are approximate and will vary by a few millimetres between brands.
| Name of Card |
Dimensions (approximate) |
| A4 |
21cm x 29.7cm (8.25 x 11.5in) |
| A5 (sometimes called C6) |
14.8cm x 21cm (5.75 x 8.25in) |
| A6 |
10.5 x 14.8cm (4 x 5.75in) |
| Large Square |
14.5 x 14.5cm (5 x 5in) |
| Small Square |
11 x 11cm |
| DL (sometimes called 'Tall') |
11cm x 22cm |
| Small Tall |
8.3 x 17.5cm |
These A6, Tri Fold, Round Window, Aperture Cards...
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Choosing Stock Weight
Paper and card weight is measured in grams per square metre (gsm) or microns. GSM is the most common measurement and generally the thicker the card the greater the weight. A good average weight for card blanks is 260gsm. It is important when choosing the weight of your card blanks that you bear in mind the size, shape and weight of your embellishments that you intend to use. It is common sense to use a thicker, and therefore heavier, card blank if you wish to adorn it with heavy metal embellishments. Also bear in mind that the weight of layers of cardstock and even papers will mount up, especially when using foam pads.
Aperture Card Blanks
These card blanks have small shapes cut out of them. By buying mechanically produced card blanks with pre-cut apertures you can be sure that the aperture will be perfectly placed to create a balanced design and takes out the time consuming work of measuring, marking and cutting by hand. There are many different designs available including single squares, triple squares, rectangles, circles, hearts, ovals or even Christmas trees and teddy bears.
Colour & Texture Blanks
Card blanks are available in every colour of the rainbow, and a few more besides. There are classic white and cream which are great to keep in your stash for emergency cards and when the crafting bug bites late at night! Metallic finishes add a touch of sparkle to special cards and are perfectly suited to wedding, anniversary and Christmas cards. There are also a number of different textures for card blanks, just as there is for cardstock, such as smooth, ultra smooth, linen, hammered and embossed.