Greeting Card Printing Techniques

A variety of printing techniques can be employed to craft a greeting card that is both rich in character and endearing to your recipients. From choosing a fold to a size, to including foil stamping or a die cut, you can take advantage of these advanced greeting card printing techniques to develop a greeting card for the ages.

Paper stock

Like all printed materials, the weight, texture and finish of your greeting card paper stock says a lot about your company: the better the paper, the more professional your appearance. The best greeting card paper stocks are 14-point gloss cover stock, which has an aqueous coating that protects your greeting card and has a stylish sheen that accentuates your greeting card design; and 13-point recycled matte, which has a softer sheen for a more thoughtful approach and is also eco-friendly to satisfy your green agenda. For small budget greeting card printing, 12-point gloss cover stock is an inexpensive alternative that still looks great.

Greeting card size

The bigger the better is the adage, and this principle still holds true for greeting cards. Oversized greeting cards such as 10-inch by 7-inch have more impact than smaller sizes; however, it is possible to achieve a specific tone with a smaller greeting card such as 7-inch by 5-inch and 8.5-inch by 6-inch.

Folds, foil stamping and die cuts

For a truly unique greeting card, nothing beats a colored foil stamp or die cut. After you know whether your greeting card is to be folded vertically or horizontally, you can incorporate a die-cut template for a specific shape that helps you get noticed and exude a targeted message. Foil stamping adds a brilliant glean to your greeting cards that turns heads - and makes you appear more professional.

Envelopes

Instead of plain white envelopes for your printing cards, try printing full-color envelopes that add character and entice your recipients to tear them open to see what's inside. You can even begin your message on your envelope and continue it on your greeting card.

There are many considerations to take when planning greeting card printing. Make sure your greeting card design is print-ready by using a greeting card template to save time and money. Follow these greeting card printing techniques to ensure your greeting cards come off the press looking as compelling as they do on your computer screen.