| In recent years many online UK business card printing | | | | submit your own design, and you may also be required |
| companies have popped up giving you the customer | | | | to put the logo of the printing company on the back of |
| plenty of choice. Most specialise in printing business | | | | your printed business card which markets the printing |
| cards and other similar products like printing leaflets, | | | | company. |
| flyers, compliment slips etc. This article focuses on | | | | Instead of going for the free business cards, choose |
| business cards. | | | | an online vendor who does cheap business card |
| The assumption is that ultimately you as a consumer | | | | printing. The price will roughly be the same for either |
| are looking to purchase professional quality business | | | | option but with the cheap business cards option, you |
| cards for a reasonable cost. Costs obviously vary | | | | may not be required to place the logo of the printer on |
| from printer to printer but in general the costs are less | | | | the back of your card – much more professional |
| than high street business cards printing costs. To | | | | business cards. Besides why do free marketing for |
| differentiate between online printers and to make a | | | | the printer when there is no free business card printing. |
| judgement about what you are getting for your | | | | 4) Quality of Printing |
| money, you have to look at the overall service | | | | Most online business card printers will have pretty |
| provided by the online printer. In assessing the overall | | | | much professional printing equipment and do full colour |
| service it is important to consider the following five key | | | | printing (CMYK) that will give an overall quality print |
| points. | | | | finish. The printing falls into two categories of |
| 1) Business Card Design | | | | lithographic printing or digital printing. The words |
| Many online printers usually give you two options: | | | | lithographic or digital are simply references to the |
| Option one is where you choose from a variety of | | | | technology of the printing machines and the printing |
| template business card designs which you can then | | | | processes used to print the cards. Lithographic printing |
| tailor to your needs. Obviously you are looking for a | | | | is an older method of printing and gives a very clear |
| printer that has a rich variety of business card | | | | and crisp result. Digital printing is a newer method and |
| template designs including blank business card | | | | depending on the quality of digital printers used, the |
| templates which can be modified from ground up. You | | | | results may vary. The best digital printers produce a |
| also need a powerful and easy to use business cards | | | | printed quality as crisp and clear as the best |
| online design tool, which will allow you to design a | | | | lithographic printers, and better results than some of |
| business card to meet your exacting requirements. | | | | the older lithographic printers. |
| Option two is where you design business cards using | | | | Again the quality of print does depend on the quality of |
| your own software and you can submit this design to | | | | business cards design - artwork as mentioned earlier. |
| the printer. Many printers will put restrictions on what | | | | 5) Colour |
| you can submit in terms of file types, quality etc. | | | | One pitfall of dealing with online printers is that because |
| Essentially you as the customer need to be quite well | | | | of low prices they rarely provide a printed business |
| versed in printing jargon to make sure you can use the | | | | card proof. Some printers will provide you with an |
| printer. Most people are novices to printing. | | | | email proof of design which you can use to establish |
| But there are a few printers who will treat the | | | | the overall look and feel of the card design which for |
| customer like a novice and provide added knowledge | | | | most customers is sufficient. But for customers who |
| value without charging any extra. As an example they | | | | do have very specific colour requirements’ working |
| will accept any file type you submit without restrictions | | | | online does have its shortcomings and it can never |
| and help to create a design that is suitable to be | | | | replace a printed proof for the purposes of colour |
| printed and also check the quality of any files | | | | matching. The following gives a brief explanation why. |
| submitted in terms of resolution (dpi). | | | | If you want a very close colour match between |
| Dpi (dots per inch) or resolution refers to the | | | | colours on the business card designs you see on the |
| sharpness of your design. It does not matter how | | | | computer monitor and the printed business cards |
| good the printers are, if your business cards design is | | | | speak to the printer. Depending on the type of monitor |
| not sharp enough then the printed card will not appear | | | | you use and the colours involved, there could be a |
| crisp and clear. Ideally for the best result, you are | | | | huge difference between how the colour looks on the |
| looking at having a design of at least 300dpi when | | | | monitor (RGB MODE) and how the printed colour |
| created in actual printing size. | | | | (CMYK MODE) looks when printed from the printer or |
| 2) Business Card Paper Thickness and Options | | | | when printed using your home of office printer. Also |
| Thickness (gsm) of the business card is reference to | | | | the type of paper used affects how the printed |
| its weight. Anything over 300gsm normally will give the | | | | colours look. |
| feel of a quality business card. Most printers provide a | | | | One reason this happens is quite simply because of |
| range of between 270 to 400 gsm. Sometimes a card | | | | the physics of the situation. Monitor colours (RGB: |
| may feel stiffer but it is not necessarily thicker. The | | | | Red-Green-Blue) appear more brighter because the |
| common paper types are matt, silk, gloss and recycled, | | | | colours are reflected, whereas the same printed |
| again all of these give a pretty reasonable end result. | | | | CMYK colours would appear duller because the |
| A common option is a laminated business card. This | | | | colours are absorbed on the paper which is also why |
| adds to the thickness and durability of the card giving a | | | | using different types of paper which absorb colour |
| superb feel. Don’t confuse lamination with thick | | | | differently can affect how the printed colour looks. |
| encapsulation. Lamination is a thin film of coating on the | | | | If you want very close matches the best way to |
| card, and you will not even know that the card has | | | | proceed is to send a paper copy of the card with |
| been laminated by visual inspection. Again some | | | | colours on it to the printer. The printer can then try to |
| vendors may charge a lot extra for lamination. | | | | find the closest matching CMYK colour. If the printer |
| 3) Gimmicks | | | | can’t find an appropriate CMYK colour code, he |
| Many vendors offer free business cards. There is no | | | | may recommend using another printing set of colours |
| such thing. You will be charged for the postage and | | | | called Pantone (Spot) colours. Pantone colour printing is |
| packing, and the quicker you need the cards, the more | | | | normally more expensive than CMYK colour printing, |
| you will be charged. In addition for the reduced cost | | | | but the accuracy to colour match is also better. The |
| there will be restrictions on the free business card | | | | printer will also factor the business card material in the |
| designs you can use, you may not be allowed to | | | | decision process. |
