Accent Opaque White 8.5 x 11 Cardstock Paper, 100lb, 271gsm - 200 Sheets (1 Ream) - Premium Smooth Heavy Cardstock Review (2026)

What this cardstock is

This is a 200-sheet ream of Accent Opaque cardstock in standard 8.5 by 11 inch letter size, rated 100lb text weight, which converts to 271gsm. The stock is bright white, fully opaque, and finished with a smooth uncoated surface rather than a textured or coated one. It is sold as a single ream, so every sheet in the box is the same weight and finish, which matters for anyone lettering a matching set of place cards, invitations or menus. Accent markets the line as a premium alternative to pricier specialty cardstocks, and the manufacturer lists it as acid free and FSC certified, so it is meant to hold up over time rather than yellow in a scrapbook or keepsake card. Because it ships as flat sheets in a ream wrapper, there is no pad binding or perforation to trim away before you start lettering, which saves prep time for batch projects.

How it handles lettering

The smooth uncoated finish is the main reason this sheet suits pointed pen and brush lettering: there is little texture to catch a fine nib or fray a brush tip, so strokes come out even. Full opacity is a real practical benefit for finished pieces, since guide lines drawn in pencil on the back, or a design printed underneath for tracing, will not show through the front once the piece is displayed. The 100lb weight gives enough body that a single sheet stands up on its own as a place card or folded note without extra backing. The tradeoff shoppers should expect is drying time: a smooth, uncoated surface like this one tends to let wet ink and fountain pen ink sit on top a little longer before it sets, so letterers working with juicier inks may want to test on a scrap sheet first and allow pieces to rest before stacking them.

Weight, size and quantity

Each ream holds 200 sheets at 8.5 by 11 inches, giving letterers a large working supply for practice pieces, finished cards, menus or signage without reordering often. The 100lb text weight, listed by the maker as 271gsm, sits in a heavier bracket than standard copy paper but lighter than true cover stock, which is why it can be cut down into cards or run through some printers rather than only hand-lettered. That same heft is a double edged feature for anyone who wants to print a guide or template first: several retailer listings note that printers with automatic feed trays can jam or misfeed on stock this heavy, so a manual or bypass tray feed is the safer setting when running sheets through an inkjet or laser printer before lettering on top.

Build quality and finish

Accent Opaque is positioned by its maker as a premium uncoated sheet built to compete with specialty brands, and the smooth finish and opacity described on the packaging matches what independent retailer listings repeat about the line. Sheets in the ream are consistent in color and weight, which is important when a project needs several matching cards or pages lettered at once, since mismatched brightness or thickness stands out on a finished set. The acid free claim from the manufacturer suggests the paper is meant to resist yellowing over years of storage, a detail worth knowing for wedding invitations, keepsake cards or archived lettering samples. There is no coating layer added on top of the fiber, which is what keeps the surface friendly to both dip pens and brush markers rather than repelling ink the way some glossier stocks do.

Value for letterers

At 200 sheets per ream, this cardstock spreads the cost of a heavier, opaque, smooth-finish paper across a large enough quantity that it works for both everyday lettering practice and finished projects like place cards or short invitation runs. Buyers who only need a handful of finished pieces may find a smaller pad more economical, but anyone lettering in volume, for a wedding suite, a class, or a shop selling custom cards, gets a lower per-sheet cost than buying specialty calligraphy pads in small quantities. Given the smooth surface, real opacity and consistent weight, the value holds up well against the pricier bristol and cover stocks it competes with in cardstock and paper roundups, provided buyers plan around slower ink drying and set printers to manual feed.

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