How to choose perfect paper for your customized Business Card

Choosing the right paper for a business card printing can be a challenging task, especially if you’ve only printed just a few sheets on your home printer.

Most people either go to their local supplier and end up choosing at random, hoping everything will turn out OK, or they let others make the decision for them, usually when a commercial service is involved.

Picking the best-suited card stock is the first step toward making a beautiful and professional business card. It’s an important step and should be something you think about seriously.

1) Preliminary Consideration- The specs of the cardstock greatly depend on a mix of factors: your card’s design, colors, the kind of impression you want and your budget.

2) Weight- If your business card is double-sided; you must make sure each side will hold the inkwell. Even if your card is just one-sided, you don’t really want to pick anything too light or flimsy.

Light cardstock breaks down easily and usually has a less professional feel to it. A thickness of about 300 gsm/12 points and above will do. Sturdy card stock is usually better suited for business cards, but it will be pricey.

3) Finish- Cardstock is categorized by its coating, which directly influences its degree of reflectivity. Glossy paper is highly reflective and is excellent to retain detail and saturation. This type of finish is great for high definition printing, but it is not that great for materials intended for handling and reading.

Matte paper, on the contrary, is not very reflective and isn’t shiny, but it is easy to view in all lighting conditions and it is ideal for anything where readability is essential.

4) Special Papers- Other than normal plain stock, there is a variety of textured papers available that you might want to consider, especially if your card’s design calls for some textural detail.

If you want to have embossed or letterpress effects on your card, make sure you choose the appropriate type of stock for the purpose. Even when it comes to choosing card stock, practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to try out a few different types before making your final choice.

If you are still undecided and want to make sure you will make no mistakes, the best idea is to rely on a professional printing service and ask them for samples before going through the actual printing of your business cards.