When people decide to produce custom business cards, they rarely decide on the thickness of it. For most people the most important part of color business cards is always the design. Therefore, it is just logical to concentrate in this aspect first.

However, since you are creating your own unique and original marketing material, it is also important for you to decide on its thickness. This aspect can affect the quality and cost of your color business cards. Therefore, once all the designs are made, you will probably face the decision to choose the thickness of your custom business cards.

Measuring in points (pt)
Card stock is measured in points. "Points" refer to the relative thickness of the card paper stock. 1 point or "1pt" can be roughly converted to a thickness 1/1000th of an inch. For most card stocks, they usually use a 12-point or a 12pt thickness as the standard. However there are thinner or thicker variations that can be used for various situations in business cards.

Standard 12pt and 14pt
The usual thickness that you will encounter are the standard 12pt cards and the slightly higher end 14 pt cards. These cards are pretty durable and can survive for long periods in your wallet. They are of course thicker than normal paper, but are still easily bended when a slight force is applied. Therefore, most normal people will print their color business card on 12pt thickness as a well-balanced stock, while those who have a little bit more money may go for the 14pt for added durability. Whichever the case, when you want to print a standard business card, you should use these thicknesses.