A buyer searching for Cardstock is usually trying to stop a bad substitute. A press or a print job is specified by the process, the substrate, the color control, and the finishing. The notes below are selection criteria for a Cardstock. They are not a catalog promise. Confirm every rating on the current datasheet, drawing, or test report for the revision you will receive.
What has to be true of Cardstock
A press or a print job is specified by the process, the substrate, the color control, and the finishing. For a Cardstock, start from the duty, then the interface to the rest of the machine or the room, then the document that proves the claim. A lower price that leaves one of those blank is a different product.
Cardstock is easy to confuse with Emulsion. If the quote could be read as either, add the line that separates them: the rating, the fitment, or the standard named below. Link the drawing number to that line so receiving inspection can reject the wrong one.
Numbers that change the quote
| Line | What to write for Cardstock |
|---|---|
| Proof | What will be signed before the run. |
| Process | Offset, digital, flexo, screen, or another named process. |
| Substrate | Paper, film, or board, with thickness. |
| Color | The color standard and the tolerance. |
| Size and speed | Sheet or web, and the throughput you need. |
| Finishing | Coat, die-cut, or bindery. |
How to compare two offers
Lay both quotes for Cardstock on one sheet and line up proof, process, and substrate. If a cell is empty, the offer is not finished. Ask for the missing line in writing. When those match, the honest difference is lead time, the test evidence, and who carries the warranty. Do not average a fully specified Cardstock with a cheaper line that omitted proof.
Documents worth having before the deposit
Ask for a signed proof standard and the substrate specification. The file should name Cardstock and the revision, not only the supplier’s homepage. A factory quality certificate such as ISO 9001 can sit beside that file. It does not replace it.
Failures that show up after delivery
- Buying a press speed that the drying cannot support.
- Leaving finishing off the quote.
- Changing substrate after the color has been approved.
On a Cardstock, the expensive version of the first mistake is discovering it after the goods are in the crate. Put the rejection condition in the purchase order while the supplier can still restate the offer.
A worked RFQ line
Use this shape, then replace the brackets with your duty: “Cardstock — State process, substrate, color tolerance, size, and finishing.” That sentence is a template, not a rating of any brand. If a supplier’s datasheet uses different units, convert them onto this sheet so the next offer can be compared.
Where words like outdoor belong
Searches often add a constraint to Cardstock: outdoor, or OEM / custom. Keep those on this page. Outdoor means UV, temperature cycle, and corrosion, not only a gasket. Name the climate and the years the gasket is expected to last. OEM or custom means a drawing, a revision, and a statement of who owns the tool. Without those, you are buying the catalog part. If you need a third constraint, add it as another line on the same drawing. A second URL that only swaps the adjective does not give a buyer a second fact.
Related in this section: how to specify Emulsion.
Questions buyers actually ask
What should an RFQ for Cardstock include?
State process, substrate, color tolerance, size, and finishing.
Is a cheaper Cardstock the same part?
Only if proof, process, and the documents match. A missing line is a different offer.
Do waterproof, OEM, or IP words need their own page?
No. For Cardstock they are extra lines on this specification. Ask for the test or the drawing that gives the word a value.