Month: March 2020

Essential Things to Look for in a Business Card Printing Company

If you are looking for business card printing services, you naturally want to get the best output without having to pay too much. The process that you have to go through in order to have a set of unique business cards matters, too. This is why you need to spend time looking for just-the-right company that will provide you with your printing needs – and you should also know what to look for in the first place.

Here, we will find out which factors are essential when you’re looking for a business card printing company:

• High-end equipment

There are two options when it comes to business card printing: digital and offset. Digital printing uses desktop printers or digital printing presses. This gets the job done and is cheap but if you need unique business cards with a complex finish or lamination process, offset printing might be the better option. This uses high-end printing presses and ink is not directly transferred, but is instead offset onto paper. Offset printing delivers more professional-looking results and as far as the price goes, the per piece cost gets lower when you order more.

• High-quality materials

When you’re ordering unique business cards, check on the thickness of the paper that they use. This can range from 14-pt. to 32-pt. which is the thickest. You should also decide which finish to go with – some examples are silk, cotton, suede, soft touch, and brown kraft.

• Designing tools

Next, check if the business card printing company offers templates that you can download if you don’t have a design yet. There are also online tools where you can set up, create, and submit your design.

• Excellent customer service

Lastly, when ordering unique business cards, make sure that the business card printing offers excellent customer service. Consider the cost, minimum order, turnaround time, finishes available, and the swiftness of reply to your inquiries.

One of the best things that you can do for your brand is to have a set of unique business cards. By knowing which factors to consider, you can choose which printing company to order from so that you can get high-quality cards for the best value.

Hassle-Free Ways to Find the Right Online Printing Services

If it’s your first time to have something printed out for your business, you might find it a huge hassle to look for online printing services. With dozens of results appearing on an online search, how will you know if a printing company can deliver the goods? How can you make sure that you are getting the best value for your money? If you hire an offshore printing company, how can you make sure that the prints will even get made? To help you out, here are some hassle-free ways for you to find the right online printing services provider:

1. Know what your printing requirements are in the first place.

Let’s say that you are launching a postcard mailing campaign. What are your printing requirements? Do you need EDDM mailing services? This stands for Every Door Direct Mail, a service by the United States Postal Service where it does what it says – direct mail is sent to every address within a specific area. EDDM mailing services is a great feature to have if you are just starting to build a customer base. If you need a large volume of prints with excellent quality, offset printing might be right for you. But if you only need a small batch sent out, digital printing is cheaper and gets the job done.

2. Decide on the design, material, and finish.

Next, you should already have an idea about the design that you want before looking for online printing services. If you need 100 pieces of postcards with mailing services, for example, you can use the website’s downloadable postcards template or an online design tool, if they have one. You should also think about the material. For postcards, different sizes are available in thick paper stock while the finish can be matte, glossy, or soft silk.

3. Search for online printing services and compare the top three or five results.

Finally, do a quick search for online printing services. Compare the top three or five results. If you need postcards with mailing services, for instance, look for a company that also offers EDDM. Make sure to also compare the turnaround time, quality of customer service provided, the length of experience that they have in the field, feedback about the quality of products that they deliver, and the costs involved. Know which areas you can’t compromise on – and decide from there.

Gauge the Best Professional Printing Service Provider with these Criteria

If you are trying to order business cards, flyers, or postcards online, dozens or even hundreds of results will be displayed on your online search. Out of all the professional printing service providers that will pop up, how can you choose the best one? Whether you’re a start-up or an already existing business, you want to get the best quality printed material while also getting the best value for your money. As such, you need to do your research and look for the best professional printing company out there.

Here are a few factors that you must consider when looking for a printing company:

1. The printing equipment and supplies used.

Let’s say that you need to order 300 pieces of postcards online. The first thing that you need to do is consider the printing equipment used. Traditional printing presses are huge and use the offset printing method.  This type of professional printing process has been around for a long time – and they deliver razor-sharp images. Once the design is set, offset printing can produce hundreds to thousands of copies in just a few hours! The “non-traditional” type of professional printing is the more modern digital printing process. Desktop digital printers or digital printing presses are used. If you need to order a small volume like 100 pieces of postcards online, this gets the job done although there might be a small compromise as far as printing quality is concerned – where offset deems far superior.

2. The design tools available.

Next, are there design tools available for download or online? There are professional printing websites where you can download templates for a business card design, or an online tool that you can use to create postcards online. What’s good about these tools is that there is no need for you to pay for the services of a professional graphic designer. However, it is recommended that you still get one if you are starting from scratch – for instance, if you do not have an official logo designed for your brand yet. Once you have a template for the logo, you can incorporate it in all your printed promotional materials.

3. The turnaround time, customer service, quality, and cost.

You also have to consider the costs involved. What’s the price for the minimum number of postcards online that you can order? How fast can they deliver the products? Do they offer quality customer service?

Whether it’s postcards, business cards, or any other printed promotional materials that you need, it is a must to do your research and compare these criteria. This way, you can search for the best professional printing company out there that can deliver the goods – minus the astronomical price.

Top Things to Consider when You Order Business Cards

When you order business cards or any other printed material, for that matter, you want to have professional-looking results – but without having to pay an arm and a leg for it. This is where your research skills should come in. There are dozens, if not hundreds of
online printing service providers to choose from. By taking a few factors into consideration, you can have great-looking promotional materials when you order business cards, while still getting the best bang for your buck.

To get started, here are the top things to consider when you order business cards:

• Process and Price

Basically, there are two printing processes available: offset and digital. Offset utilizes printing presses where ink does not directly come in contact with paper, but is instead offset onto a plate. This may sound a bit complex but once the design is set, you will see razor-sharp images and letters using offset printing. The second option is to hire a digital online printing service provider. This uses digital printers which, over the years, has greatly improved. Digital printing gets the job done and it’s good for small batches when you order business cards.

Price-wise, bigger volume printing jobs become cheaper per piece with offset printing. Digital printing is cheap and gets the job done for smaller batches, although its capacity for printing a larger volume of materials may be limited.

• Service and Sources

Just like when you’re taking advantage of any type of service, you must check on the quality of customer service that the printing company offers. How about sources? Check the website of the online printing service provider to see if they offer free downloadable templates or an online tool that you can use for designing business cards. This way, you don’t have to pay for the services of a graphic designer. As long as you already have your logo, you can incorporate that in the design when you order and use the online design tool or downloadable template.

• Finish and Feedback

Finally, check on the material and finish, as well as the feedback. When you order business cards, for example, a 14-pt. cardstock can have a smooth matte, glossy or silk spot UV finish. Some online printing service providers also offer unique features like foil stamping, rounded corners, and plastic or brown kraft cards. After deciding on the material and finish, check on the feedback of other clients when it comes to the quality of the products.

Make a comparison of all these features, narrow down your choices to two or three – then make an informed decision from there.

Digital or Offset: Which Online Printing Service to Go For

If you need a professional business card, you basically have two options as far as printing process is concerned: digital or offset. To start right off, here is some basic information between the two:

• Offset Printing

When you say that a professional business card was created using offset printing, it means that an offset printing press was used. For this, ink is taken from a plate which is then transferred or offset onto a rubber roller – then placed on paper. Before the onslaught of digital online printing services, offset printers were extremely popular. For small batches, they can be quite expensive but in terms of quality, the images are sharp and the printed materials end up professional-looking.

• Digital Printing •

There was a time when getting an online printing service meant that the provider will use a typical inkjet desktop computer printer – much like the ones used at home. Fortunately, digital printing has improved in such a way that it can handle more complex printing and lamination jobs. The reason that this has become the go-to choice for those who need a professional business card printed out is that it is cheap, fast, and there are many online printing service providers to choose from. The ordering process is also done purely online – if you need 200 pieces of professional business cards, for instance, you simply need to place your order through the website and wait for the products to be delivered straight to your doorstep.

Based from the basic information between these two, how will you know which one to pick? It all really boils down to your specific online printing service requirements. If you want razor-sharp images for a bulk order of professional business cards, offset is the better option. This is especially true because with offset printers, the per-piece price becomes lower when you have a higher volume of orders. If you just need something cheap that gets the job done, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with going for the cheaper and more convenient digital online printing service.

No matter which one you end up choosing, it’s important to search for a printing company with lengthy printing experience, has good reviews on their website, a wide range of products to choose from, and offers a quick turnaround time.

Minimize Your Environmental Impact with Eco-Friendly Kraft Business Cards

Are you considering having kraft business cards printed out? Whether you’re a freelancer or an employee of a huge corporation, you need to be aware of the environmental footprint that you are leaving as you go about your business. With recycled business cards, you can do your share in helping minimize your carbon footprint – while also enjoying numerous benefits for your business.

If you decide to take the eco-friendly path in printing out business cards, not only are you being a responsible business owner – but you can also use ‘going green’ as part of your community outreach. The more eco-friendly your day-to-day operations are, the more that people will appreciate your business. It’s also quite cheaper to produce eco-friendly cards because they are made from recycled material. In terms of design, the earthy look of the thick paper will look great against straightforward fonts and cute black-and-white illustrations.

With kraft business cards, there are many sizes to choose from. You can go with the standard US size which is 2” x 3.5”. European size is slightly larger, measuring 2.125” x 3.375”. There are also square and skinny business cards which measure 2.5” x 2.5” and 1.75” x 3.5”, respectively.

 

Because of the recycled material used, it is good to go with a thicker paper stock – the usual is 18-pt. paper. The earthy brown surface of kraft business cards with visible fibers can be printed using white or black ink. Design-wise, you can be as creative as you want with these cards and customers will surely appreciate the work behind crafting these eco-friendly business cards.

 

When looking for a printing company, make sure that they will give you the option of using recycled brown paper. More than just being a good representation of your brand, the fact that these kraft business cards are eco-friendly can be your main selling point.