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.
