170 GSM vs 200 GSM vs 250 GSM: Which Paper Is Best for Brochures?
GSM (grams per square metre) is the standard measure of paper weight, and it is the specification that most changes how a printed piece feels before anyone reads a word of it. Heavier is not automatically better for a brochure, because a brochure has to fold. Here is what actually changes as GSM goes up, and where PrintOnline's own stock sits.
What GSM actually measures
GSM is the weight of one square metre of the paper, and within a given paper type, higher GSM means thicker and stiffer stock. A typical printer paper is around 80 GSM. Brochure and flyer stock generally starts around 130 to 150 GSM and runs up into the 250 to 350 GSM range used for business cards, covers and rigid single sheets.
Thickness and rigidity
As GSM rises, the sheet gets thicker and holds its shape better when held flat or handed to someone. Low GSM stock (under 130) feels closer to office paper and can look cheap for a company brochure. Mid-weight stock (150 to 200 GSM) has enough body to feel like a proper printed piece while still handling normally. Heavy stock (250 GSM and up) starts to feel closer to card than paper, and stops being practical to fold cleanly without proper scoring.
Flexibility and folding
This is the specification that matters most for a brochure specifically, because a brochure is defined by its fold. Lighter and mid-weight paper (150 to 170 GSM) folds cleanly by hand or machine with a crisp, flat crease. As weight increases past roughly 200 GSM, paper resists folding and, without a pre-applied score line, can crack or whiten along the crease, especially with laminated stock. This is exactly why PrintOnline's standard tri-fold brochure is printed on 150 GSM art paper: it is the weight that folds reliably at production volume without a separate scoring step.
Durability and appearance
Heavier stock resists bending, tearing and show-through (ink from one side showing faintly through to the other) better than lighter stock. It also tends to read as more premium simply by feel, independent of the print quality itself, which is why heavier stock is common for single-sheet items meant to be kept, like a standalone company profile page, rather than folded brochures meant to be handed out in volume.
Cost
Heavier stock costs more per sheet, and the difference compounds across a large print run. It is a real factor at 1,000+ copies, though a smaller one than the digital-versus-offset choice covered in digital vs offset brochure printing.
Lamination interaction
Lamination (matte or gloss film applied over the printed sheet) adds its own thickness and stiffness on top of the base paper. A lighter base paper with lamination can end up feeling similar to a heavier unlaminated sheet, so the two specifications should be considered together rather than separately. On PrintOnline's tri-fold brochure, matte and gloss lamination are available from 500 copies at AED 65, AED 90 and AED 160 depending on quantity.
What PrintOnline actually stocks
Confirmed from live product pages: the standard tri-fold brochure runs on 150 GSM art paper, and a related flyer product is printed on 170 GSM. Both are genuinely available and priced. Whether 200 GSM or 250 GSM stock is available for a specific brochure format is worth confirming directly before specifying it, since it was not confirmed on the pages checked for this guide, and different products on the same site can carry different stock ranges.
Practical recommendation
For a folded brochure, 150 to 170 GSM is the sensible working range: it folds cleanly, holds colour and image quality well, and is what PrintOnline's own brochure stock is built on. Reach for something heavier only for an unfolded single sheet meant to feel substantial on its own, like a loose company profile insert or a rate card, and confirm availability and folding behaviour before committing a large print run to it.
Order your brochure printing from PrintOnline.
Related: the full brochure printing guide and how much brochure printing costs in Dubai.
