GSM - grams per square meter

GSM - unit of measurement to try to explain differences on paper

GSM stands for grams per square meter and it means that if you take 1 meter x 1 meter of paper , it weighs X grams. This has become a form of measurement to try to explain how thick the paper is in a book. It is a bit more complicated than that, but a pretty good rule of thumb to start from. It shows quite clearly the differences between different notebooks, how they feel and are experienced.

Use the filter below! There you can quickly find the different books based on GSM.

Difference between the different GSMs

We have a wide selection of notebooks with different GSM. To try to explain. A regular copy paper is often around 80 GSM. It is quite thin and rustling. If you write on that paper and hold it up to the light and look at the back, you will probably see what you have written on the other side. Regular college notebooks are often around 70 GSM. The idea is to have a lot of sheets and still be easy to carry.

But in a notebook where you want to do a lot of work, it can be frustrating if everything is clearly visible on the next page. That's why many notebooks have taken more and more height around GSM. Already at 120 GSM you can feel quite confident that the previous page is not visible through so clearly. Up to 160 GSM, it takes an extremely high amount for things to be visible on the next page.

Not everyone cares about this. Some rather appreciate the quality behind thin papers. Japanese brands are really popular there. The papers are pure luxury - thin, smooth and easy to fold. But they generally lack an indication of GSM, since it is not as established in Japan.

The range thus falls between the feel of sandwich paper and cardboard. What you appreciate is entirely based on your own preferences. It's not about good or bad quality, but heavier paper based on your needs. The higher the GSM, the fewer pages there are in a book. It's about the weight.

But a high GSM can still feel quite thin. How is this related? Another factor is density. Although GSM is a measure of weight per area, it is the underlying density of the paper (how dense the material is) that determines how thick, stiff and opaque it will be.

Below in the filter are choices based on GSM. The absolute thinnest are brands from Japan and there is usually no number as said. We have added as Japanese thin paper . These are writing books for those who appreciate good quality and thin paper. Are you really crazy about crafts and want to use lots of different materials in the book and cut and tear? Then you aim for 160 GSM.