What Exactly Is "Paper Weight"?!?

Boy, I have had a hard time figuring out exactly what paper weight means. The labels can be so confusing! I print my designs on card stock, and have recently switched over to 100% recycled vs. the 10% I was using before.  The web site I ordered the new 100% from said it was 80lb weight. I was looking around Etsy and realized most people were printing on 110lb, and thought well this can't be good. I can't have wimpy thin cards! No one will buy from me! Jeez those sellers must have a brick of a card! Imagine my surprise when the new 100% paper arrived and it was quite a bit more thick than the 10% I was using before, even though it claimed to weigh less. So I was totally confused, and I'm sure I have confused you too. What in the heck is this paper weight thing anyway? Well I found a website that explains it all:

PAPER WEIGHT DEMYSTIFIED

Thank you paper-paper.com!

So out of all of this, I realized card stock is called "index" paper when measured, and my new 100% recycled paper is somewhere around 119lb weight. Hooray for nice thick paper! I do notice a big difference between the two. I am also glad that it is fully recycled. It helps me sleep better at night... hehe!