I used overnightprints.com and was very pleased with the quality. You can upload a file, preview it online, works great!
Posted by Rich Stebbing (Member # 368) on :
gotprint.com has my vote too!
Posted by Scott Pagan (Member # 2507) on :
sub them out, it's too cheap not to.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
For higher quality you might look into www.dicksons.com they are not the 4 color shiny card type printers.
I have done nice cards for temporary use on my inkjet and color laser printer with cover stock from paper company's like French Paper (www.mrfrench.com) or on full page sticky back paper and apply it to card stock that is too thick to print. It can be tiome consuming though.
Posted by Debbie Scott (Member # 4366) on :
www.gotprint.com has my vote as well I got 5000 glossy full color double sided cards for something like 129.00 plus shipping. Can't beat it. Good luck
Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
Because it gets all of your votes, I went to gotprint.com and was rather annoyed.
In order to obtain a price you have to enter a valid US zip code. Ok, I don't have one, so I go to "International".
Very interesting list of countries...including Liechtenstein, which is smaller than Monaco with only a few thousand people, but Canada is not on their list. How did they come up with those choices? Close their eyes and pick?
Oh well, they just lost my business.
Posted by Alphonse Dente (Member # 4993) on :
4colorprint.com
really nice "silkfeel" cards, just ftp thema file, they email you a proof.
I thought you were looking for a way to do them in-house, or I would have responded sooner.
-Al
Posted by Jerry VanHorn (Member # 4704) on :
carlsoncraft.com
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
Right now,on a printing forum,a couple of people are sitting around posting hey i need a sign made,anyone have a cheap source? Sure search the internet until you find the absolute cheapest SOB on the face of the earth,dont go to a signman who actually does this for a living in town you'll pay too much....or even better,someone with absolutely no experience in signmaking will post some bastardized version of how to prep plywood(cuz its the same thing) that they think should work just fine....then everyone else will sit around wondering where cheap a*s customers and crappy work come from
Posted by Barry Branscum (Member # 445) on :
Gavin. YOU ARE MISSING THE &^%$^ Point. I don't know about these other guys, but I use these print houses to sell cards with MY DESIGNS. You darn right I want the best price available. It improves my bottom line everytime I do.
THere is a time to hammer the tire-kickin' nickel and dime it to death thing, but this ain't one of those times.
If you want to pay a higher price and go to the local guy down the street from you and then try to resell it, by all means go ahead.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
The topic is high quality business cards isn't it? When I think high quality, Gotprint.com, and overnightprint.com is way low end.
Carlson Craft looks like a good option, they have more printing options than just the quickie printers.
Overnightprints.com recently came up in another forum of graphic designers.
I use colorit.com, and postcardpress.com myself, I don't know about the others.
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
Barry if youre gonna get your testiculars twisted at opposite 90 degree angles and use language like that please take it to the dinnerware thread. Thanks in advance.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
why bother with this small profit stuff, let the printers handle it.. Hell. i dotn even print my OWN cards on my color laser.. it costs to much for me to print em, cut em, lay em out for what its worth.
Teh time spent savign 4 bux couldve been spent omn gettin a 2 grand of profit job..
Posted by Barry Branscum (Member # 445) on :
I dunno Curtis, why don't you ask Dan Antonelli...He seems to think there is a dollar or two in being able to outsource and offer his customers turnkey service. I regularly make from 50 to 250 bucks by selling my customers business cards in addition to their signs. If you can pass that kind of extra cash up, well bully for you.
And Gavin you diverted by making lame comments about my $^$%*^ (which is only a swear word in your head.), and avoiding the point of my post. Read it again, and skip the offensive language.
[ March 04, 2005, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: Barry Branscum ]
Posted by Brian Snyder (Member # 41) on :
quote:Originally posted by Rick Chavez: The topic is high quality business cards isn't it? When I think high quality, Gotprint.com, and overnightprint.com is way low end.
I'm curious why you say the cards from gotprint are low end? They've printed hundreds of sets for us and our customers love them (as do I).
Posted by Jerry VanHorn (Member # 4704) on :
I send off for business cards almost weekly. We design our customers logos, then incorporate it to cards, letterhead, We SELL them digital art on CD for yellow page ads, etc. The printers in my area have ZERO design ability. Their cards look like the 4x8 plywood signs made by the hacker sign shops - white with red block print. I don't make a killing on business cards. But if I already have the design set up and only have to FTP to their site for an additional $50 profit, I'll do it. Plus it makes the customer feel like they need to come back because you have done it ALL for them.
Carlson craft have AWESOME cards. Do a layout in Corel or Adobe and export as an .AI file. Convert all text to curves and email to orders@ccbusinesssolutions.com Tell them you want 4 color process 'budget' cards. I think I pay $59 for 1000 cards and sell them for $109. My customer are thrilled with the final product.
Posted by Brian Snyder (Member # 41) on :
Hey Jerry. Don't cheat yourself. We sell 3 to 4 1,000 qty 4/0 card sets at $200 every week (I pay under $45 shipped) and we actually do have some good design competition in the area. Very few balk at the price. The $200 includes an hour of design time but its an additional $75/hr after that.
[ March 04, 2005, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: Brian Snyder ]
Posted by Jerry VanHorn (Member # 4704) on :
thanks Brian,
I will try to bump it up.
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
Hey Barry.......settle yourself down. I diverted? this post got diverted at the first response......if anyone bothered to read it at all,including you,Mike asked about a desktop machine to print cards and he got 9-10 places to order them off the internet and how much people make reselling them and nothing to do with a desktop printer. As for what i said,i guess i must be on a different website when people post and get 40 replies complaining about Kinko's or the like....which coincidentally are printing shops,not sign shops,offer signs as a 'customer service'......my god the sky is falling and they're horrible SOB's who are quicky sticky-ing the very bread and butter from signmakers and should be shot,run out of town,they're no talent hacks and a joke or whatever.....you've been around here long enough to know what happens when those kinda posts hit.........yet when letterheads turn around and do the exactly same thing its a good idea and none of the above apply,so dont tell me i diverted the post when you jumped in like the whole thing was directly addressing you when it wasnt....dont take yourself so seriously you'll live longer.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
quote:Originally posted by Brian Snyder:
quote:Originally posted by Rick Chavez: The topic is high quality business cards isn't it? When I think high quality, Gotprint.com, and overnightprint.com is way low end.
I'm curious why you say the cards from gotprint are low end? They've printed hundreds of sets for us and our customers love them (as do I).
I don't understand, just like cheap coroplast signs, they do the job, customer is happy, but what do they know about the difference? Color uniformity is near non-existant(if that is important to you) at these internet printers. Options, just like signs or design, some printers have the one option (think vinyl only shop) or some have many to choose from. A high end printer does not have to be expensive, but they should be able to handle any paper you design too (I don't know how you design, but I design signs knowing the substrate, I design a logo system with a paper in mind, whether it is color, stock and converting ease. These web based printers do not have that option. They are one trick ponies, they have thier use, but without any paper stock options, printing options and special techniques, they are cheapo printers that make Kinkos look high end. I am not just blowing smoke, I think it's better to see examples.....
I usually don't have a problem with other types of shops such as printers, until they prove they do not have a lick of design ability. You have to admit the turn over rate at that type of business is pretty high. I do not expect to recieve the same quality design from a one-hour, get your coro signs here now type of shop. It comes down to ability. It's pretty bad when the good ole boy at the local sign shop produces better cards than Kinkos. Now when Kinkos can produce a better sign than the good ole boy, the sky is falling.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
Oooops, me bad.....
[ March 04, 2005, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: Rick Chavez ]
Posted by Brian Snyder (Member # 41) on :
Originally posted by Rick Chavez:
quote:I don't understand, just like cheap coroplast signs, they do the job, customer is happy, but what do they know about the difference? Color uniformity is near non-existant(if that is important to you) at these internet printers. Options, just like signs or design, some printers have the one option (think vinyl only shop) or some have many to choose from. A high end printer does not have to be expensive, but they should be able to handle any paper you design too (I don't know how you design, but I design signs knowing the substrate, I design a logo system with a paper in mind, whether it is color, stock and converting ease.
Lets differentiate between HIGH END and HIGH QUALITY.
You said both "high quality" and "low end" in your post and my reply should have said "I'm curious why you say the cards from gotprint are low quality."
To that I say, for the type of products Printograph (gotprint) produces they offer a high quality output. They don't offer "high end" products with rare papers, custom cuts and foil stamping.
Yes, the customers are happy and they don't know the difference between paper stocks. Actually, they usually make a positive comment about how thick and glossy our cards are compared to the thermography they're used to.
To be honest, as long as they are happy and they pay their bills I'm happy. When a customer sees the cards we do and they say "wow, these are nice, I'd like these, how much?" it doesn't make any sense for me to talk them out of it.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
I think thats cool Brian, thats the difference though, isn't it? What you or your customer believe is high quality and what I and my customer believe it to be can be 2 different things? I have used a couple of companies that were highly recomended, though I have not used gotprint. They are typical bang them out companies and they have thier uses, but for color matching, shift or consistancy? I would never recomend them for a color critical job. There are plenty of sign shops using the same service with success. There are plenty of sign shops and bad printers giving this form of printing a bad reputation too. I just can't see designing to just one just one basic print option that is marginal at best in comparison to other forms of printing, but that is my experience, yours is different.
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