Paper Texture & Stock
Combine finish and weight to see how a stock actually behaves, and what it's suited for. Runs in your browser — no server call, no tracking.
Finish
Swatch
Where Paper Comes From
Invented by Cai Lun in China around 105 CE, using mashed plant fiber pulp — a radical improvement over papyrus and parchment. It spread along the Silk Road into the Islamic world by the 8th century, and reached Europe through Spain around the 12th century.
From Hand-Made to Industrial
Papermaking stayed a slow, hand-mould craft for over a thousand years until the Fourdrinier machine (patented 1807, England) enabled continuous paper production on a moving mesh belt — the direct ancestor of the paper machines still running today.
GSM — Grams per Square Meter
The universal weight measure for paper stock, independent of sheet size. Office paper sits around 80-100gsm; a business card is typically 300-400gsm; magazine covers commonly run 200-250gsm. Weight alone doesn't determine stiffness — that also depends on the fiber and coating.
Coated vs. Uncoated
Coated stocks (gloss, matte, silk) have a clay or polymer layer that holds ink sharply on the surface — better for photography and fine detail. Uncoated stock absorbs ink slightly into the fiber, giving a warmer, more tactile feel favored for stationery, books, and anything meant to be handwritten on.