Paper 101: What is paper GSM and why does it matter?

While there are many ways to assess the quality of printing paper, grams per square meter (abbreviated as GSM) is the most widely used. 

This standard is extremely simple, and at its core is really just a measure of the weight of various types of paper when cut into a sample size of one square meter, or about 3.3 by 3.3 feet. 

A newspaper will typically weigh in at around 45 GSM, and your typical printer paper will come in at about 90 GSM. 

As is obvious by now, the higher the GSM, the thicker the paper, and thus the higher quality the print and poster will be. As such, your classic movie poster will use 130 GSM poster paper to ensure quality and longevity. 

At True North, we pride ourselves on outstanding handcrafted quality by carefully selecting only the highest tier raw materials - as such, we print our art on 260 GSM specialty photo paper (which has the added benefit of being sustainably sourced). 

This paper is thick, robust, and heavy to the touch. It is extremely durable, and is coated with especially designed color pigment receptors to ensure long lasting print jobs and vibrant colors for years to come. 

We want the art you purchase to look as good years from now as it does the day we print it in our studio, and one of the ways we ensure that is by using the best paper we can source - all part of our unwavering commitment to quality.