The Business Card Blog

When shopping around to order printing online, your decision may come down to the simple matter of quality vs price. Remember any printed item you distribute is a direct reflection of your business standards, and of course yourself.

Quality printing doesn’t necessarily mean expensive printing. There are many cheap printing offers around, so it’s just a matter of checking samples to ensure you really are getting a high standard for that discount price.

Check the specifications for paper weight, shown in ‘gsm’ or grams per square inch. For a brochure or flyer, 150gsm is the most popular paper stock.

If you need a lot of flyer printing done cheap for a letterbox drop, a lighter paper may be suitable and save a few dollars. Of course you can also go the other way. Flyers and brochures can be printed on heavier stock and finished in matt cello, for example, to give it a classy appearance and feel.

Business cards should be printed on 420gsm card with a choice of finishes. There are hoards of printers and designers offering cheap business cards printed on 310gsm or even lighter. 

Many of these will be printed digitally, reducing the quality of the finished card somewhat. This is fine is you’d like a quick and cheap way to get your message out, but for your main business card, it may be important to convey professionalism with a higher quality card, printed on a press with premium card stock.

Also, don’t assume the advertised price is final. Check for extra costs that may not be included, like freight, GST or artwork setup. A custom printing quote should include all these elements clearly, with a final total.

Finally, know what you want your printing to do for your business. The level of quality required will depend on the desired results.