Business Card Printing Services
You have several options available when printing custom full color business cards to aid in marketing yourself or your business. You can create single- or double-sided business cards that are either glossy or matte coated and printed on paper, cardstock, or plastic with varying paper weights or thicknesses. Additional printing options like textured or linen finishes and a painted coating or UV edge can all enhance the quality of your design.
What materials are used for printing business cards?
- Regular card stock: The most cost-effective option, this is the standard choice of material for printing business cards, especially in bulk.
- Premium card stock: With their slightly thicker weight, premium stock can make business cards feel more substantial. They come either coated or uncoated.
- Plastic: When available, plastic cards can infuse business cards with an air of sophistication.
How should thickness of business cards be determined?
The thickness of business card materials is generally measured using points, with one point equal to one one-thousandth of an inch. The point values increase as its thickness increases, so 14-point cardstock is approximately equal to 104-pound weight. Most business cards are between 14 and 20 points thick, with premium cards available up to thicknesses of 32 points. While printing business cards on material under 14 points thick is unadvisable, how thick you choose your cards to be is really a personal preference.
What types of coatings are used on business cards?
- Glossy: With a gloss finish, your cards will have a reflective patina. A gloss finish is particularly attractive on cards with a photo or lots of color.
- Matte: While cards with a matte finish still have a smooth surface, they won't reflect light or have any sheen to them. A more classic design choice, a matte finish is particularly striking on cards that make bold use of text.
What special card options should be considered?
- Textured: There's a tactile feel to textured cards that seems to enhance their apparent quality and entice people to want to hold them. Textured cards may have a corduroy style of finish that features slightly raised lines or a cross-hatch woven into the paper.
- Linen: A finish that emulates the look and feel of actual linen fabric, this is an elegant textured card design choice for marketing yourself to a more elite customer or clientele.
- Painted edge: Adding a colored edge or even a foiled edge to your cards can give them an extra stylish touch that adds more distinction to whatever custom design you create.
- UV coating: This special compound dried beneath ultraviolet lighting helps to prevent fading in your cards.