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What Is Color Core?

What Is Color Core?
18 December 2023
What Is Color Core?

What Is Color Core Printing?

Color Core cardstock is the giant within our paper library. Coming in at a dizzying 800gsm, Color Core dwarves all those beneath it, with standard business cards and invitations paling in comparison to this mighty paper type. Other than being hefty, Color Core has another special quality to brag about – its colored core!

In this post, we’re going to take an in-depth look at our thickest paper stock and the reasons why you should consider Color Core cardstock for your next print project.


How Is Color Core Made?

No paper stock is available at 800gsm naturally. Print machinery would not be able to handle something so chunky passing through the press. But if Color Core doesn’t start at 800gsm, how does it manage to get to be so impressively thick?

The main thing to know about Color Core is that it is made up of layers. 3 to be exact.

Making up the first and third layer of Color Core is a sheet of white sticker paper. Being white allows you to print any kind of design onto the front and back of Color Core with no problems. Then in the center is where the magic happens.

Sitting in the center of Color Core is a double thick stack of G.F Smith Colorplan paper. The white sticker material is first stuck onto individual sheets of Colorplan. These sheets of Colorplan are then glued together to create the Color Core we all know and love.

Look at Color Core from the side and you’ll be able to see all 3 layers of paper sandwiched together.

How Is Color Core Made

What Core Colors Are Available?

Currently, we have 16 different core colors to choose between. From our light Azure Blue to our rich Ebony black, there’s plenty of choice for your cards. Here is our complete color selection:

Our Colorplan Color Range
Azure Blue Pale and icy blue
Lavender Light and delicate purple
Candy Pink Sugary pink perfection
Factory Yellow The yellowest yellow
Citrine Midway between orange and yellow
Bright Red The brightest red
Scarlet Deep wine red
Fuchsia Pink Bold and vibrant pink
Purple A true purple
Tabriz Blue A cyan mid tone blue
Marrs Green Fun and eye-catching green
Forest Deep mysterious green
Sapphire Dark navy blue
Amethyst The royal purple
Dark Grey Almost black but not quite
Ebony Dark as the night

Want to see our range of core colors in person? Get in touch with our team to request a sample of your desired color.


Why Choose Color Core Cardstock?

Color Core is the thickest paper stock offered by most printers. What better way to stand out from your competitors than with business cards triple the thickness?

But these cards aren’t just thick. The colored band around the edges of Color Core is the perfect way to extend your branding onto the sides of your prints. Having a unique element to your business cards is a sure way to guarantee that your cards will be kept hold of by prospective customers.

Being so thick makes this paper type incredibly strong. These prints are difficult to bend and even harder to tear. You’ll never have to worry about your business cards getting dog-eared before a big meeting or your postcards bending in the mail when you choose Color Core.


Color Core Printing – What Do I Need To Know?

To create Color Core, our production team needs to glue each sheet 3 times to join every layer together. This extensive gluing process has to be done by hand, as gluing machinery isn’t built to handle 800gsm paper passing through. All this combined leads to Color Core printing having a longer production turnaround time compared to our other paper types. But hey, you can’t rush quality, right?

Another thing to consider when deciding to pick Color Core is lamination. As 800gsm is extremely thick, a different cutting method is required to cut your business cards and certificates to size. This cutting method often leaves the edges of the prints cracked, which isn’t a great look. To prevent this from happening, we always recommend applying a laminate to Color Core. Our laminate helps to protect the edges of your prints to withstand the cutting process.


Order A Sample Of Color Core Cardstock

Deciding to splurge on a premium paper type feels so much better when you know exactly what you’ll be getting. Request a sample of our Color Core paper from our team or head on over to our paper sample pack to view all our different paper types available to order.


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