Card stock is measured in points. A point is a thousandth of an inch. So 14pt is 0.014″ and 16pt is 0.016″ — a difference of two thousandths of an inch, which sounds like nothing written down and is obvious the moment you hold both.
What the extra 15% actually buys
- Stiffness. A 16pt card stays flat in a hand and does not bow when someone takes it from you. A 14pt card flexes.
- The edge. Thicker stock takes a cleaner cut and shows a crisper white edge rather than a slightly furry one.
- Survival. Cards left in a screen door, under a wiper or in a work truck get bent. The thicker one bends less.
- The read on quality. Nobody consciously evaluates card thickness. Everybody notices it.
Where the industry sits
Most large online printers default to 14pt and sell 16pt as a paid upgrade or a separate product line. That is a sensible commercial decision on their side — it keeps the headline price low.
We print 16pt at every quantity and every price instead, because the alternative is quoting one number and delivering a card that feels like the cheaper one.
Coated or uncoated
Thickness is only half the decision. The finish changes what the card can do.
| Finish | Looks like | Best for | Can you write on it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss | Shiny, colours pop | Photos, before-and-afters, bold colour | No |
| Matte / uncoated | Flat, soft, modern | Text-led cards, anything handwritten | Yes — pen and pencil both |
If you are going to write a price, a date or a name on the card by hand — and contractors do this constantly — order matte. It is the same price.
When 14pt is genuinely fine
Cards that sit in a rack, get picked up once and get discarded do not need to survive anything. Neither do inserts that go inside a box. If the card's job is to be read once and thrown away, the thinner stock costs less and does the job.
The moment the card is handed over in person, or left on a door for someone to find later, thickness starts doing work.