A set of three uniquely sized letterpress business cards.

One of the most popular questions we get from clients is, what size should I make my business cards? Here’s usually what we tell people. A majority of the cards we print are standard size: 3.5″ x 2″ (U.S.) and 55mm x 85mm (European), and 55mm x 91mm (Japanese). That being said we print more than our fair share of small/mini and square business cards.

Probably one of the most popular non-standard size is 3.5″ x 1.5″ like these cards we’ve printed for Gustavo (Photo (video) graphers ♥ Letterpress). If square cards are more your style check out these cards we printed for Randy Schmidt (Letterpress pupCards). Read more about the Do’s and Dont’s of business card sizes after the break.

How do I know if a unique size will work for me? Well here’s the thing, if you’re asking this question then it may not be for you. If you work in a traditional field  like finance or law it might be best to stick with a standard size and get a creative with the design. If on the other hand you work in a creative field, like graphic design, photography, or culinary arts, people enjoy breaking the rules when it comes to style and size.

That being said, don’t feel the need to conform to what everyone else is doing. Business cards are all about expressing your image or brand so if a unique size fits with that, then embrace it.

The first letterpress cards in the set of three were printed for graphic designer Anne Mao (debu-hamu.com). Anne’s cards were printed on 110# lettra with a finished size of just 1″ x 3″. We used a custom metallic blue ink and printed them using magnesium instead of photopolymer. Anne gave us the design for the cards.

So what does a custom size cost? With all of our newfangled antique newfangled equipment from Vandercooks to Windmills we rarely print business cards to size. That means that generally there is no difference in cost to print a card with different dimensions.

All of the cards shown here, even anne’s mini business cards, were cut down on our hydraulic cutter instead of die-cutting them. Eliminating the need for a die helps reduce the cost of a custom business card. Quotes are free, so get yours today by emailing us at contact@dolcepress.com!

The next business cards were printed for Mia Ponce, a pastry chef. These card measured in at 1.5″ x 3.25″ and again were cut down on the paper cutter, not using a die. Since the cards were double sided, Mia opted for the thicker 220lb stock with light gray on the front/back and blind on the front.

How do I know what size is right? We tell every client to print out their PDF proof on an inkjet or laser printer prior to approval. Why? Well most people design their business cards on big screens. In our studio the computer of choice is a 30″ iMac and business cards look pretty big at 6400%.

By printing the proof and cutting it out you’ll get a feel for what the card feels like in real life. It also helps you confirm that all of the type is the right size.

The last business card is this square card we printed for photographer Amanda Doublin (amandadoublin.com). Amanda’s cards were 2.5″ square and printed on 220lb lettra. The use of the thicker stock was an obvious choice because the cards had decent coverage on both sides. Amanda designed the cards with the same graphics used on her website.

How should I lay out the design for a custom size? If you’re going to be doing the design, make sure to specify the right size of the artboard. Always lay out the card at 100% its true size. Also, when you email for a quote, let us know the dimensions of the final piece so we can confirm that the design is correct.

Please post questions about custom business cards in the comments section below.

Contact us to get a quote on a custom business card.

Check out these letterpress business cards we printed for a Barbados based company.

Yes, we work with people from Europe, designers in Australia, and corporations in Asia. Since we’re both a print shop and design studio we accept files straight from designers and also work with clients to create custom stationery suites, wedding invites, and more. More information about how to place international orders after the break.

So how do I get started? The easiest way to get started is to contact us by email (contact@dolcepress.com). For those that would rather call, you can reach us in the studio at (631) 319-6639. All of our quotes are sent by email because of the breakdown in pricing. We also have Skype services available for clients that want to talk or video chat about their project.

What information do you need? Try to be as specific as possible. For those clients interested in design services, let us know and we’ll help you get started. For people submitting their own files, please attach a JPEG or PDF of the design in its current state (even if its only a draft). Also include the quantity of each piece, especially if you’re ordering business cards for more than one person. If you’ve got a deadline, make sure to be specific when you need the completed project in hand by.

How does the process work? Once you’ve decided on a format and the specs, we’ll give you a revised quote and get started on your project. The turnaround time varies from day-to-day. As custom projects come in they are added to the print queue and are completed in that order. We also offer, on a limited basis, an optional rush for quick turnarounds (call for availability). We’ll give you an estimated turnaround time when you place your order.

Shipping, do you send our card via carrier pigeon? No, we may do old school printing but we ship using modern methods! Once you’re job is finished we’ll email you shipping options for regular and expedited delivery.

Talking about international clients, we printed these business cards for John Allsopp of Amonle Studio Workshop based in St. James, Barbados. The cards were letterpress printed on 220lb Lettra Pearl White. We mixed a custom blue-green ink for the front logo and a dark gray ink of the text on the back.

Because these cards were printed on pre-duplexed stock (from the mill), we printed the text on the back first with a lighter impression. The logo on the front was printed second with a slightly heavier impression. This method minimizes the bruising and leaves both side with a moderate impression.

Working on a re-branding for your business or a client?

Call or email us today to get started.

Traditional images don’t work with letterpress printing.

Andrea is a photographer from Las Vegas who we’ve worked with in the past (Andrea Tunbridge Photography). She recently reordered letterpress business cards and we wanted to share them on the blog. Because of the plate and printing process involved with letterpress, images don’t always work best with letterpress. We’ll share some of our thoughts and tips on using images in letterpress projects and show you more of these cards we printed for Andrea after the break.

So before I go any further, we can print any image via letterpress even full color ones but it’s good to have an understanding of what the final result will look like. Before the advent of offset printing, images were routinely printed using letterpress.

So what is a Halftone? The halftone process is a technique that reproduces a continuous tone using a series of dots that can vary in size or spacing. This image demonstrates what a halftone looks like closeup:

The above image shows a halftone on the left and what we perceive it to look like on the right. We won’t go into the process involved in creating the dot pattern but its through this process that we can make an image compatible with letterpress. The first image believed to be printed via letterpress dates back to the 1873 in The Daily Graphic and is shown below.

Unless you look closeup at the photo you can’t tell that its composed of thousands of tiny dots.

So what images work best for letterpress? While there are no tried and true rules, our experience has been that single color (grayscale) photos work best. Like I mentioned earlier, we can print 4-color process photos but generally if you need a full color photo we suggest a mixture of offset and letterpress. The images also pop best when they are on a light or white background. Any color in the photo will be converted to a pattern of dots, with dark backgrounds requiring a dense grouping of dots.

Are there any file requirements? Yes. First, you’ll want to make sure that you have the image in a high resolution, around 200 DPI at least. This will ensure that there is enough fidelity in the file to produce a clean halftone. You’ll also want to check the balance of brightness and contrast in the image to ensure light areas print light and dark areas print dark. If the photo is a single color make sure to convert it to grayscale mode.

What will the final print look like? Here are more photos of Andrea’s cards. In the photo below on the right, she included a photo of a vintage camera printed in a light blue. We’ve shown some other pieces with halftones on the blog including: AllPopArt Business Cards, Grape Vine Wedding Invite, Sarah Hinkley Business Cards. Since halftones have fine details in them, don’t expect a heavy impression. We try to strike a balance between the impression and details in the printing and for small images you can get a decent impression.

We printed Andrea’s cards on 110lb cotton paper in pearl white and mixed a custom cornflower blue ink. Finally the cards were round cornered with a 1/4″ radius die.

If you’re looking to include images in your next letterpress project let us know, we’d be happy to help!

]]> http://dolcepress.com/blog/2011/07/12/halftone-business-card/feed/ 1 http://dolcepress.com/blog/2011/07/10/letterpress-thank-you-etiquette/ http://dolcepress.com/blog/2011/07/10/letterpress-thank-you-etiquette/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:04:11 +0000 Dolce Press Staff http://dolcepress.com/blog/?p=1222

Here’s a few quick photos of letterpress thank you cards we printed for a wedding invitation suite. A lot of people put emphasis on the quality and esthetic of their wedding invitations, mostly because they want friends and relatives to know how important it is to them that they’re a part of the wedding. Wedding invitations and save the dates are often the first thing people associate with your special day and its important to start off on the right foot.

More often than not though people don’t think about thank you cards until after the wedding is over. After starting your wedding off right, don’t your guests deserve a beautifully printed and personalized thank you?

There is quite a bit of etiquette associated with thank you’s, like when to send them, what to write, and what not to. Below is an excerpt from a great article by Emily Post. This list outlines the 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Thank You Notes, and it really applies for any thank you, not just for your wedding.

1. Do personalize your notes and make reference to the person as well as the gift.
2. Do remember that a gift should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generous spirit in which it was given.
3. Do be enthusiastic, but don’t gush. Avoid saying a gift is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen unless you really mean it.
4. Don’t send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature; don’t use email or post a generic thank you on your wedding web site in lieu of a personal note.
5. Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts by sending a note right away or calling and following up with a written note in a day or two.
6. Don’t mention that you plan to return a gift or that you are dissatisfied in any way.
7. Don’t tailor your note to the perceived value of the gift; no one should receive a perfunctory note.
8. Do refer to the way you will use a gift of money. Mentioning the amount is optional.
9. Don’t include wedding photos or use photo cards if it will delay sending the note.
10. Don’t use being late as an excuse not to write. Even if you are still sending notes after your first anniversary, keep writing!

Don’t #10 is really important. No matter how late it may be, it’s never too late to say thank you for someone’s generosity. Read the rest of the Emily Post Article here: Wedding Thank You’s. Do you agree with Emily Post’s list? What are your Do’s and Don’ts for Thank You writing?

One of the biggest questions newlyweds have about Thanks You’s is often when to send them. There are two standards to compare against here, one is the experts and the other is what the average person thinks. Our expert opinion is that Thank You’s should be sent out as soon as you can. Certainly take a week or two to recover from the wedding, honeymoon, and possible move, but make it a priority to sit down and write at least a few thank you’s a night.

A poll from 2009 posted on Twiigs.com suggests that most people agree that it’s proper etiquette to send out thank you notes within 3 months and definitely no longer than 6 months. Check out the results here: How long should you wait to send out thank you notes after your wedding?

Let us know what you think is an appropriate amount of time to wait in the comments below.

The cards were letterpress printed on pearl white Crane’s Lettra (110lb) with brown ink. The cards were cut down to A2 size (4.25″ x 5.5″ – folded) and scored for a clean folded edge. We tailored the design of the cards to match the other pieces in the wedding suite.

Going to be placing an order for wedding invitations? Because the setup for letterpress printing is time consuming, it’s more affordable to order additional pieces like thank you cards with your wedding invite order. Based on the size and type of press being used, sometimes we can gang all of the pieces together and run them at once on one of the cylinder presses.

A lot of people associate letterpress with a specific style,
but it can be whatever you want.

We normally post individual business cards but today we want to share a few cards to demonstrate how different letterpress business cards can be. These 4 certainly don’t represent the full spectrum and the design is only limited by your imagination. Read the rest of the post to see more photos of these letterpress business cards and find out more information on how to order your own cards.

We work with a wide range of clients from individuals with no design experience, to graphic designers and large companies with graphic design departments. As designers turned letterpress printers, we try to give each client our advice on what works best and our tricks to achieve looks and finishes.

We printed these business card for John Tripp on Crane’s Lettra Fluorescent White (110#) in a beautiful blue. Calling cards don’t get anymore straight forward than this. Sometimes its best to keep things simple and to the point.

The second set of business cards were printed for interior designer Tao Connelly. Borders are great on cards just make sure that when the cards get cut down that they’re even. Its amazing how accurate the human eye is. The stock was 110lb. Lettra as well, this time in pearl white. They were letterpress printed in two colors, green and silver.

The next set of letterpress business cards were printed for Misty Lee. We really love her use of fonts and letterpress really showcases that. Because of the single color process, letterpress design puts a greater emphasis on layout, styling of fonts and less on use of colors. This limitation really helps to simplify and streamline a design.

These cards were letterpress printed on 220lb Pearl White cotton stock. How many people can put Theatrical S’eances on their business cards?

This last set of business cards we printed for Shelbie Brassfield, a graphic designer. These letterpress cards were printed on Crane’s Lettra 220lb stock. The thicker paper permits a deep impression without any bruising on the back.

We try our best to separate solids from small text if possible during the design process, but sometimes that just isn’t the case (especially with a 1-color card). The critical part here was to achieve a nice solid coverage on the background pattern and border while resolving the fine elements of the text, particularly the script font.

Because of the length and orientation of the design, Shelbie decided to increase her card to 4″ x 2″. Since almost every project is printed on a larger sheet and then cut down to the final size, creating a custom size card is easy, and cheaper than creating a custom die shape.

We hope that these cards help demonstrate some of the diversity possible with letterpress business cards. If you have a project that your looking for guidance on, need design assistance or just want to submit your print ready file, contact us with the specs to get started (see below).

For LI/NYC clients, give us a ring (631.319.6639) to schedule an appointment in the studio.

Specs for quotes should include:

• Quantity (break down amounts per person)
• Printing method (letterpress, offset, digital, thermography, foil stamping, engraving)
• No. of colors
• 1 / 2 sided
• Stock (e.g. Lettra 220lb Pearl White)
• Finishing (edge coloring, round cornering, creasing/scoring, die cutting, etc.)

For projects including multiple lots (>3), please call for more information.

Don’t always believe everything you read!

We posted photos of Caroline’s completed business cards on friday (C McKeough UnLTD. Letterpress Cards) and promised to post photos we took while they were being printed. We weren’t able to photograph everything but got a good range of photos from proofs to printing to cutting. If we missed something you’d like to see let us know in the comments and we’ll try to include them in the the next production shoot we do.

We use photopolymer plates for a majority of the jobs we run in the studio. With every plate we always check the proof, it’s much better to check for errors before you start printing! The proof is a quick print taken from the plate on thin smooth stock.

Once we’ve checked the proof, next the ink gets mixed.

We mix most of our ink by hand which involves combining mixing colors in the right proportion. Gray was the first color we mixed for Caroline’s cards. The color is a simple mix of white and black ink. We used opaque white (top-left)  and neutral black ink to create the gray ink (top-right). Once mixed, the ink is put on the press and distributed (bottom-left/right).

We printed these cards on one of the 10×15 Heidelberg Windmills in the shop. Below is a photo of the chase with the photopolymer plate, an ink knife, rag, and a roller setting gauge.

Here is a closeup photo of the chase in the press with the plate inked with the gray color (above). As the first color is printed the sheets end up on the delivery side (below).

We shot a quick video of the cards being fed into the press and being delivered out of it and posted it on our youtube channel.

We clipped a sheet to the windmill’s guard (above-left) to ensure consistent color throughout the run. Once the gray color was finished, we pulled out the chase and registered the plate for the second color. Since both plates have common crops, registration is a snap using a gridded base.

The second color was a blind press (no ink) so we locked out the rollers and printed all of the sheets.

As the cards were spit out of the press and on to the delivery side, we pilled them up by the paper cutter to be cut down.

Above and below are photos of the cards as we finished cutting them. The two photos above show the cards sitting against the back-gauge of the hydraulic cutter. The other photos were taken on the bed right after cutting.

That’s all folks! Let us know what you liked and what we missed in the comments below. Stay tuned this week for business cards we printed for Heidi 5 Studios and more.

People always ask us what the letterpress process looks like and short of signing up for a reality show and having cameras follow us around the shop, we hope these photos tell at least part of the story. We posted Randy Schmidt’s letterpress pupCards yesterday and these photos were taken during the production of his cards.

We tried to caption each of the photos. Check the bottom of the post for a short video as well as some additional details.

Photopolymer plates and proof for the front / back of the cards.

Getting silver metallic ink ready to put on press.

First plate for the front of the card setup on the base and a closeup of a Hi-Speed quoin used for lockup.

Chase in press ready for printing metallic silver for front of business card.

First proof of metallic silver, checking color / coverage / registration. Once approved the proof is clipped to the press for comparing during the run.

Paper running through the press, with a quick stop to add a touch more ink.

Measuring the proof and setting up second color (blind) on back of cards.

First proof for second color, checking for impression depth and registration.

[flickr video=5732984521]

Two short clips of paper moving through the press from a slightly different perspectives. The woosh of the suction is a noise any printer recognizes and is sort of like a printer’s metronome.

[flickr video=5732981883]

All of the photos/video were taken with my iPhone 4, which can produce some really surprising pictures under the right conditions. We will be posting some more process shots with another set of business cards we printed for a different client soon.

Let us know in the comments below what you thought of the photos and if you’d like to see more of these type of posts in the future.

Pantone 2747 is the perfect letterpress navy blue!

These business cards were designed by and printed for Kathryn Weinstein, a NY based freelance graphic designer. A lot of people ask us how the process works so here’s how its done if you already have a design:

1. Send us your design (jpg/pdf) and specs for a quote
   - Specs: quantity / colors / stock / size / finishing / more …
2. We’ll send you a quote with a breakdown of prices
   - email works best because you’ll have all of the different costs on paper to decide what works best for your budget
3. Once you decide what you want, send us the design files (Adobe Illustrator)
   - please include any fonts used in the design or convert it to outlines (how-to) 
4. You’ll receive a PDF proof from us (approve it or send changes)
   - the proof is to ensure there was no file distortion and that all text is correct (double check for proper spelling)
5. Once approved, your design will be broken apart and made into plates
   - don’t worry we promise not to damage your design!
6. The paper is cut  to print your cards
   - this isn’t a job for your favorite pair of scissors, we use a computerized hydraulic cutter
7. Your plates will finally meet the paper with the ink color specified
   - inks are custom mixed for each job using pantone base colors, so any color is possible. Even metallic and fluorescent inks!
8. Once finished we will cut your cards down to size
   - the key here is to trim them down to the exact size specified and ensure square cuts
9. The cards are packed up and shipped to you (we ship worldwide)
   - the difficult part now is waiting for the package to arrive … can you wait?

If you’d like us to design your business cards / invitations, give us a call or send us an email and we can help you get started.

Getting back to the cards, Kathryn’s cards were letterpress printed on 110lb fluorescent white lettra. Since the cards were double sided, we duplexed the 110lb stock to create a 220lb card. Duplexing ensures a heavy impression on both sides with no push-through on either side.

We mixed a really nice blue ink for these cards, Pantone 2747.

And because we always love to look at our clients websites to see what they’ve done and what they’re doing, make sure to check out some of Kathryn’s work.