Cardstock Is 80% of the Feel
Proxy printing guides spend pages on printer settings and color profiles. Almost none of them address paper, which is backwards. Cardstock is responsible for roughly 80% of how a finished proxy feels in hand.
Too thin and you feel the difference the moment you pick it up. Too thick and it won't sleeve. Wrong grain direction and it curls under laser heat. Wrong finish and toner adhesion fails within a week of shuffling.
Six months, 22 cardstock options, four printer models. Here's what we found.
The Winner: Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover, 80 lb
Hammermill 80 lb Cover is the top pick for laser printing. Available at most office supply stores, consistently in stock, and it outperforms stocks costing twice as much.
The key specs:
- Weight: 80 lb cover / 216 gsm, close enough to real card weight (310 gsm) to feel right without being too thick to sleeve
- Grain direction: Short grain, parallel to the 8.5" dimension. Critical for laser printing, which applies heat along the feed direction
- Finish: Uncoated matte. Toner adhesion is excellent; the surface texture is closer to a real card than coated stocks
The most common beginner mistake is copier paper (20 lb bond). It's cheap and the output shows it. Spend $15 to $25 on proper cover stock. The difference in feel is immediate. For the full breakdown of what gsm and lb cover mean, and which weights work with which printers, see the proxy paper weight guide.
The Runners-Up
Neenah Exact Index, 90 lb is the pick for printers that struggle with heavier stock. Slightly lighter than Hammermill, handles registration better on budget lasers.
Strathmore 300 Bristol, 100 lb is excellent for inkjet printing. The surface takes pigment ink well. Overkill for laser output.
Georgia-Pacific Premium Multipurpose, 80 lb is a solid budget option available at Costco in bulk. Quality control is less consistent than Hammermill, but average sheet performance is comparable.
HP Premium32 Paper isn't a cover stock, but it's worth noting because it's the default for a lot of printers. Acceptable for draft-quality test prints. Not recommended for anything you plan to keep.
Where to Buy
All picks are available through major retailers. These are affiliate links; we only link to products we've tested. The Hammermill 80 lb Cover typically runs $18 to $25 for 250 sheets. We re-tested every stock a year later in the 2027 cardstock re-test if you want the most current picks.
