Does your business provide business cards to its employees? Stupid question, you say. So how do you order them? A lot of companies email them to the printer or an online service, after which proofs go back and forth, there could be several rounds of approval, and then finally the cards go to print . . . it’s a process than can take a week or two instead of a couple of days.
Or maybe you order online, get pdf proof approval on the fly . . . but when the cards arrive you find them a bit disappointing. Only then do you read the fine print about how the color is “pleasing” and that uncoated paper is not an option.
Let’s answer a couple of questions. First, why do so many online print companies not offer uncoated paper? The reason is simple: their digital press doesn’t print well on uncoated stock, because baking toner on uncoated paper doesn’t work. Stafford Printing, on the other hand, uses the HP Indigo digital press, which means that uncoated paper prints beautifully because we use liquid ink rather than toner.
The second question concerns the mysterious description of “pleasing” color. What exactly does that mean? It means your business card is batched and printed with about fifty other card orders, so your particular color won’t be matched exactly – it will only be close to what you expected. For one order the color might be a little darker than it should be, and the next order will be a little too light. At Stafford Printing, our process doesn’t require “ganging,” i.e. printing multiple different orders on a single sheet, because our digital technology exceeds what is the norm in the industry. We usually print your order by itself to guarantee color accuracy, a claim few in this industry make.
The best way to see the process is to schedule a plant tour, and we will print and cut your cards while you wait.
Consistent color and paper are important when it comes to branding, which means that the printer you order from is also important. Stafford Printing offers the convenience of a global online printer, but with the standards of quality that only a local service can provide. And today, more than ever, it’s comforting to know where your printed materials are coming from – from the paper to the local people who produced your job to the box in which the cards are packed.
So remember Stafford Printing for your online print ordering and business cards!