Best paper weights for printing zines and photo booklets at home

Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre (gsm); in the US you will also see “lb” ratings that are harder to compare across paper types. Heavier paper feels better and hides the other side, but every printer has a limit, and thick paper cracks when folded unless it is scored. The table below is the practical range for home projects.

Most home printers jam above about 200 gsm. Laser printers are the fussier kind: the standard tray usually tops out around 163 to 200 gsm, and heavier stock has to go through the bypass or manual-feed slot one sheet at a time. Toner also sits on the surface of the paper rather than soaking in, so a hard fold across a solid area of toner tends to crack and show a white line. Fold laser prints with the toner on the inside where you can, or score first.

Inkjets are more forgiving. Canon and Epson photo inkjets typically accept up to about 250 gsm through the rear or manual tray, which is why accordion albums and photo covers are usually easier on an inkjet. Check the printer's specification for the exact figure, and remember that the automatic duplex unit often has a lower limit than the single-sided path.

Glossy and satin inkjet photo paper is usually coated on one side only. Print on the back and the ink smears and takes ages to dry. That rules out double-sided formats but is perfect for single-sided ones: the 8-page zine hides its back inside the fold, and the accordion album never shows its back at all. If you want a booklet on photo paper, buy paper explicitly labelled double-sided matte inkjet, which comes in 120 to 200 gsm.

Matte paper is also kinder to home printers when it comes to duplex registration, because thinner and smoother sheets feed more consistently. Photo-book makers who print at home generally settle on 170 to 250 gsm for pages that will be handled a lot, and 100 to 160 gsm when the book is stapled.

Full-colour photos on 80 gsm copy paper are visible from the other side and can look muddy. For a photo zine or booklet, step up to 100 or 120 gsm. If you love thin paper for its feel, the French fold trick (print single-sided, fold each sheet in half with the print outside, bind the open edges) gives double thickness and hides the back completely; it is a phase-two format for Foldpic, but easy to do by hand with any single-sided PDF.

Inkjet ink can also feather on cheap uncoated paper. A paper labelled “inkjet” or “laser and inkjet” at 100 gsm or more solves most of that.

Anything heavier than about 200 gsm needs scoring before it is folded, or the fibres crack along the crease. Run an empty ballpoint pen, a bone folder or the back of a butter knife along the fold line against a ruler, then fold. The 160 to 200 gsm range benefits from scoring too, especially on laser prints.

Paper also has a grain direction, like wood. A fold that runs parallel to the grain is clean and flat; one that runs across it is fluffy and resists lying flat. A4 copy paper is usually long-grain, meaning the grain runs along the 297 mm side, so folds along the long direction (the first fold of an 8-page zine) are the cleanest. For heavy card, test-fold a scrap both ways and use whichever direction bends more easily.