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Raised Ink vs. Full Color Business Cards: The Pros and Cons
Our most popular products by no surprise are our glossy full color business cards and our traditional raised ink business cards. They are very different from one another, yet we still get asked if “I can get raised printing on a full color background”. Unfortunately, this is not possible because the printing process for full color and for raised ink are drastically different. Therefore, you need to make a choice between two types of cards and it’s here that we help you evaluate the pros and cons of each:
Presentation
Raised ink cards are only available in one color. Maintaining a simple business identity that doesn’t commit you to a long-term brand identity is a signature of our raised ink cards. The presentation is simple, often containing only business essentials on the card. With full color cards, typically a photo-realistic image is used, or other full color imagery that definitely conveys a deeper and lasting impression. Whether it’s your color selection for fonts and background colors, or the inclusion of a photo background, full color cards are effective to help your business build brand awareness. They can even communicate what your business does without the need to read through the text.
Printing Quality
When it comes to raised ink cards, the quality is not so much dependent on the ink printing, but rather the quality of the stock the cards are printed on. A thick card stock usually feels more expensive. With full color cards there is more variation. You can sacrifice color quality and glossy coating which makes your cards look and feel expensive with digital printing, but you can expect to see your cards printed much sooner if you go digital.
Time
If you need your cards “yesterday”, or at least can settle to get them delivered within 48-72 hours, raised ink cards are your best bet. There is no sacrifice in quality, and the printing process allows for thousands of high quality cards to printed in a very short period of time. Digital printed full color cards can be output in the same amount of time, but you sacrifice image quality and card life. Full color glossy cards printed on a lithographic printing press can take up to a week. If you are prepared to wait a few days, then full color cards printed with a glossy finish will make the best impression and provide the longest lasting card life.
Cost
Raised ink cards are by far the cheapest option. Once a printing plate has been set up, the difference in cost to produce a handful, or thousands of prints is marginal. If you want full color cards, but need them fast, you can sacrifice some quality with digital printing, but can have your cards in 48 hours, or less. However, expect to pay a little more for rapid turnaround in full color. That is unless you only need a small handful of cards and in which case, you may want to consider using your own home printer. You’ll need a lot of color ink in your printer to get high definition output and this cost quickly ads up, but for short run card printing, there can be a cost benefit to printing yourself.
Summary
There is no right, or wrong choice when it comes to your business card needs. After all, every business is different and everyone has different time, cost and quality considerations. If you want quick and cheap and don’t care about your business identity as much as having a simple, but solid business card, go with raised ink business cards. If you want to have a stronger business image, make a lasting impression, and are prepared to wait a week or so to get your cards, then full color business cards is your best bet.
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