Friday, March 9, 2012

Where To Print Your Digital Cards

I have gotten this question a lot lately, "Where is the best place to print my digital cards?" So, I thought I would do a blog post about it to answer all your questions. My answer would be, it depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of paper you want it printed on. Here are a few of my suggestions and you can choose which option is best for you.

First, be aware that there are 3 different papers I recommend with cards. Linen paper, pearl linen paper, and photo paper. Linen paper is more of a cardstock paper that looks the best for cards. Pearl linen paper is the same but has a little glitterly shine to it. And, photo paper is what you print your regular photos on. Please note that if you are printing on photo paper, cards look best with a matte finish.

Second, price. Linen paper is a lot more expensive than photo paper, but like I said it looks a lot better for cards. Photo paper still looks great though so just decide how much you want to spend and what look you want to achieve.

Third, print shops. Here are my recommendations for where to get your cards printed:
Persnickety Prints! 
Persnickety Prints is my #1 suggestion when it comes to printing your digital cards. Not only are they the best people to work with, but their products are top quality. They also print with full bleed so you don't have to worry about any of the edges of your card getting cut off when printed.
They can print on linen paper, pearl linen paper, or photo paper. (Linen paper is a little more costly than photo paper but it looks a lot nicer for cards.)
And if you live in Utah you can pick up your order for free so you don't have to pay for shipping.
They also include envelopes with your card order.


Costco is the best if you are looking to just go the inexpensive route but still want quality. Please be aware that they don't print with full bleed so a little bit of your edges will be cut off. That's OK, just make sure nothing important on your card is right on the edge.
Remember, they don't include envelopes so you will need to buy them at your local craft store or office supply store. Also, you do need a membership to order from Costco.

If you are wanting to print on photo paper, really any local photo lab can do it for you. Remember, most photo labs don't print in full bleed so the edges of your card will be cut off. Also, they won't include envelopes.
Please also note that a lot of local photo labs may have different coloring than what you see on your computer screen. If I am printing with a new lab, I always print one test card to see what it looks like and make sure I like what it looks like printed out.

Hope this helps in printing your Becky Young Designs cards!

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