Paper artists are always on the look-out for inexpensive cardstock and exotic papers. There are tons of sources available now. But let me suggest another source for cardstock I rarely see referenced, and that is your local printing shops!
They often have leftover sheets of cardstock from other printing jobs and can give you a good deal on it. Or they can special order any color or weight you want from their sample books, as long as its from a regular supplier or meets their minimum order.
One printing shop even went down into their basement, pulled out boxes of leftover cardstock they'd accumulated over the years, and cut it down to size for me!! They charged me a token amount for the cardstock, and the cutting fee, which came to peanuts. They were happy to find a home for it! I was teaching workshops at the time on rubber stamping, so they cut postcards, bookmarks and greeting card sizes. That was years ago, and I still have a decent stash left.
Even if they don't have scraps you like, I've found that ordering cardstock directly through the printer is much, much cheaper than any other source I've researched. It's even cheaper if you order the larger sheets and have it cut down to your desired size. A good printer can do all the calculations for you, letting you know what the most economical cuts are and where the most economical price breaks are.
I also had my own notecards made for my handcarved stamp designs at my local print shop. I picked the paper and matching envelopes, then had the printer cut and fold the paper to size. I ended up with thousands, at a much, much lower price than anything I've seen available on-line or at stationery stores. Check with the printer about the grain of the paper, so he can cut and fold on the correct grain.
BTW, you can also order sticky back label paper from them, too, in a wide variety of colors.
And a last tip: If you need a variety of paper marketing items, say a business card, a hangtag, a small brochure and a gift enclosure card, you don't have to get them each printed as a separate printing job. You can lay out ALL of these items on any standard size sheet of paper (an 8.5" x 11" sheet works, but check with your printer to see if other sizes would be more efficient). Arrange them so they can be cut apart with single cuts easily. (Depending on how you lay them out, one section could be cut away, then the other sections cut at right angles, etc.)
Your printer can then make a negative of THE ENTIRE SHEET, print the entire sheet in one print run, then cut the items apart. It gives a coordinated look to your paper support, and allows you to pay for one printing run instead of several. You also save because the printer makes one negative instead of a separate negative for each item. You pay for the cuts instead. (Since set-up charges can run $25 per separate item, this can save a lot of money!)
I did this when I was first starting out and it worked nicely. My first sheet had business cards, a bookmark with contact info and a short blurb about my products, and hangtags.
And a last thought. Doing your own printing jobs on a computer is often easier and more flexible. I rely on my printer for a lot of jobs, because I'm constantly changing the text. But it's not always cheaper in the long run. Remember the cost you incur in paper, ink (pricey for colors!), electricity and wear and tear on your machine. Also, your TIME. The minute you get into hundreds of items to be printed, you'll probably find a print shop can do the job much cheaper per item. And save you hours of time, to boot.
