When it comes to your marketing materials, the printing can be just as (if not even more) important than your graphic design. The right printing can elevate your design and the wrong printing can ruin it.
There are many options to choose from whether that is paper stock, finishes, and quantity. When you are developing your business’s brand, it’s important to think outside of the box with your printing.
The physical and tangible aspects of print design can add that tactile layer to your brand. The more senses of your ideal customer you can engage, the more memorable you will be. We often spend so much time focusing on the visuals (sight) and messaging (sound) that we forget about the pieces of our brand that we actually get to touch.
Adding something extra–in the form of a unique finish or paper choice–to your printing shows that you care about your business. It was an extra step you took to think about the client experience. It helps you stand out from your competitors because you are putting in more effort and doing something different.
The Different Types of Print Finishes
Finishes draw attention to specific features of your card and there are many different options to choose from! The feeling and connection you want to create with your customer will determine what the best option is for you.
All of these options will add to the cost of printing, but there are other important variables to keep in mind including size, paper type (which we will discuss below) and quantity. Regardless of what finishes you add, the price per piece will always go down the more pieces you order.
Spot UV
Spot UV is a high gloss coating that typically only goes on a portion of your design. For example, on a matte finish business card, a spot UV coating can be added to the logo to create contrast. It does not add any depth to your cards but just a visual and textural difference between matte and glossy.
If you love print materials that are super glossy, spot UV can be flooded over an entire area. It is important to note that the chemicals used to create spot UV aren’t great for the environment. If being eco-friendly is important to your brand, this is not the option for you.
Embossing
Embossing is when you stamp the paper with a design and it creates a raised impression. If you’ve ever had something notarized, this is essentially what happens in the printing process. A plate is created with a portion of your design and your printed material is stamped at a high pressure to create a raised effect.
Embossing is subtle and luxurious. It’s a popular choice for professional corporations like lawyers and accountants.
If this is something that interests you, it’s important to be conscientious of what is happening on the other side of the paper. If one side is embossed, it means the other side is debossed.
Foil Stamping
Do you like bling? Foil stamping might be the option for you!
Foil is similar to spot UV in that it’s a targeted application, however, it is a metallic foil finish. Honestly, think of it like aluminum foil. It most commonly comes in gold or silver but there are tons of colours available. Metallic pink, anyone?
It is not subtle! It can make your print look high-end and expensive. If you want a metallic as a brand colour, this can be a great option instead of trying to recreate it using inks.
Metallic Ink
Do you like bling but also subtlety?
Then metallic ink is a better choice for you. These inks are more expensive than your regular inkjet inks, and a special plate needs to be made to add them to your printed materials. Instead of the super shiny effect that foil stamping has, metallic ink has a more subtle, almost sparkly effect to it.
Diecut
Die-cutting is a bit different than foil, spot UV and metallic ink. Die-cutting isn’t about adding more to your card, but rather taking away. There are many ways to die cut a design. Most commonly we see rounded corners on business cards, but any shape you can imagine is possible if you’re willing to spend the money.
Creating a custom-shaped design can help your marketing material stand out big time from competitors. A square business card, a circular mailout, or a lion-shaped greeting card! The possibilities only end where your creativity does.
There Are Many Paper Choices to Make
Paper can make or break your design. There are even more paper options out there than finishes to put on them! Colour, thickness, feel, sustainability and finish are all taken into consideration when picking the right paper for your printed materials.
Paper Weight
I never let a card leave my office that is less than 14pt thickness. Paper thickness is a confusing realm, and I often talk to my printer about what weight is best. Paper can come in points (pts), pounds (lbs) or grams per square meter (gsm). A standard business card is usually 12pts or 80lbs.
A great way to show the quality of your business is to reflect it in the thickness of your card. A thick card (we’re talking 26+ points) gives a cue for quality and trustworthiness.
Have you ever gotten a really thin card? It’s a reflection of how they think of their business and thin cards feel like a cheap afterthought. Thicker paper isn’t even that much more expensive, especially when you’re looking in the 12-16pt range, spend that little bit extra on the 16pt and it will make all the difference!
Paper Colour
Paper comes in a multitude of different colours, more than you even realize. While most paper ranges (just like paint colours!) in the beige-cream-ecru-natural-white area, there are papers in all colours of the rainbow.
Choosing different paper colours can alter your print design drastically and gives a different look than flooding white paper with ink.
When most cards are printed on bright white, getting a natural or off-white card is a really simple way to make it stand out without having to heavily alter the design.
Starting with coloured paper can be a luxurious option instead of flooding a white card with coloured ink. If you are wanting some funky-coloured papers be sure to check with me or your printer as not all inks will show up on all colours of paper.
Paper Texture
Papers also come in all sorts of textures! Not just the lovely smooth finish you get at your office supply store. Smooth is the most common, but even then it can be subdivided into matte, silk or glossy.
In addition to the ever-popular smooth paper, you can get felt, wove, linen, and fibre just to name a few. Paper sample books are the best way to navigate paper texture so that you can actually see and feel the differences. We have plenty of paper books on hand, as would your local printer.
Lamination is another way to change the texture of the paper. Because laminate is a plastic product there are even more options available that can’t be replicated in paper. Have you ever wanted a snakeskin business card?
Want Your Brand to Feel Amazing?
I hope this overview has inspired you to think outside of the box with your next print design. Want to brainstorm some ideas or get a recommendation to a great local printer in Edmonton?