Monday, September 9, 2019






      Fine detail: We included on our test cards typefaces ranging from 2 pt to 8 pt, on white and black backgrounds, to see how each service handled fine print; fine lines in a range of thicknesses from .125 pt to 1 pt; and a semicircle with fine lines. We checked for wavering lines and smalltextbleeding.
Clear photos: Grainy, pixelated photos are a dealbreaker for a business card, so we included photos in grayscale, RGB, and CMYK colors to see how printers handled each.Vistaprint trim and bleedElite Flyer’s outlines the safety line and cut line, Vistaprint’s uploader denotes only a safety line.Elite Flyers bleed and trimElite Flyer’s outlines the safety line and cut line, Vistaprint’s uploader denotes only a safety line.Vistaprint trim and bleedElite Flyer’s outlines the safety line and cut line, Vistaprint’s uploader denotes only a safety line.Elite Flyers bleed and trimElite Flyer’s outlines the safety line and cut line, Vistaprint’s uploader denotes only a safety line.Trim accuracy: Most printing services have design templates that break down a design into three parts: the safe area (indicating where your design will be on the card), the trim line (where a card will be cut) and the bleed (extra space that extends beyond the safety line and your design to prevent any white space and account for trimming inconsistencies). Some sites denote this differently, and all have different dimension specifications. Ryan created designs for me to account for each site’s required bleed areas. Most services recommend against using designs with borders because they’re hard to cut, but we added a colorful border and arrows at the edges of cards to see how close each service came to aligning the design correctly and delivering clean, even lines.Moo specifically warns against borders in its artwork guidelines.Our pick: VistaprintPhoto: Michael HessionOur pickVistaprintGreat for basic cardsVistaprint did well in our print tests, has an easy-to-use design tool and excellent customer service, and offers thousands of templates and several options for card stock, finishes, and features.Buy from VistaprintIf you’re looking for basic business cards and want a straightforward design and ordering process, Vistaprint is the best service for most people. Vistaprint’s cards were among the best in our printing test, with relatively accurate colors and trimming, and readable smaller type. Vistaprint has one of the easiest websites to navigate, and you don’t need a graphic design background to handle the design process. The company has quick turnaround times, great customer service. Vistaprint frequently runs promotions that lower the cost of cards and shipping, too.Vistaprint scored third in our print tests; colors on cards were mostly accurate, and small typeface was pretty easy to read.    Photo: Michael HessionVistaprint’s cards came in third overall in print quality behind Jukebox (our upgrade pick) and Elite Flyers (which we eliminated based on the company’s poor Web interface and ordering process). Ryan said Vistaprint did the third-best job rendering fine details like small typeface and thin lines. Colors were mostly accurate, although a tad dark. Our design was centered properly on Vistaprint’s cards, and the company did a decent job cutting the edges in the same place consistently. A few cards in the batch had slightly rough edges, but they weren’t too noticeable. Our printed border was not aligned properly, but this was the case with every service we tested, and because most people will print white or single-color cards (without borders) we don’t think this will be an issue. Although the card stock we chose isn’t as thick or soft feeling as Moo’s sturdy stock, the Vistaprint cards still felt nice in my hand, with a smooth, matte finish.FullSizeRender 3The back and front of GotPrint’s cards (left) are not centered, compared with Vistaprint’s correctly centered cards (right).    Photo: Anna Perlingbusinesscardservices-lowres-vista-5877We compared color swatches on Vistaprint’s cards to Pantone swatches to test for accuracy. Photo: Michael HessionFullSizeRender 3The back and front of GotPrint’s cards (left) are not centered, compared with Vistaprint’s correctly centered cards (right).Photo: AnnaPerlingbusinesscardservices-lowres-vista-We compared color swatches on Vistaprint’s cards to Pantone swatches to test for accuracy. Photo: Michael HessionVistaprint provides a better overall experience in creating a business card than any other service we tested. Compared with our upgrade pick, Jukebox, Vistaprint’s design process involves fewer steps that flow intuitively from one to the next, and doesn’t require navigating to and from different pages. When designing your cards with Vistaprint, you can start by choosing cards based on shape (standard, rounded, square, slim, or folded), paper stock (glossy,
matte, uncoated, pearl, soft touch, brown kraft, linen, recycled matte, or colored paper), special finishes (like metallic or spot UV to make certain areas shiny or glossy), or specialty stock (plastic cards, ultra-thick 32 pt stock, or ColorFill for a colorful center). Paper weight options are helpfully included in descriptions of paper stock. Once you choose a feature as a starting point and click on the respective thumbnail, Vistaprint has buttons to fill out the rest of your order details, with available options for shape, size, stock, paper weight, and finishes based on your selection.Vistaprint’s minimum order of 100 cards is one of the lowest we found, something that people who don’t give out cards very often will appreciate. The site’s interface and ordering process have changed since the time of writing; we ordered the minimum of 100 cards with 16 pt stock and a matte finish (the closest equivalent is Matte Premium cards), and used standard shipping.Vistaprint’s design tool is basic, and you can upload photos from Facebook or Instagram, a convenient feature.Vistaprint offers 8,830 premade templates (at the time of our testing, at least) categorized by industry, the most of any service besides FedEx (which has 9,146). Designs range from sparkly and geometric to understated. Although the pool is overwhelming, the site gives you many different ways to find something you like: Templates are divided by industry, style, or theme, or by available additional features. You can choose a template already designed for add-ons like spot gloss or metallic finishes, and you can upload photos from Facebook or Instagram to your card design.Our challenging print test included a rainbow border to test for trimming consistency and alignment. Ryan said that Vistaprint did an acceptable trimming job, and that most people printing basic cards won’t run into border trimming issues like ours anyway.    Photo: Michael HessionVistaprint provides the best visual tools to review your design. After creating your cards, the website shows you your proof by rendering your cards in someone’s hand, as shown in the photo below. I appreciated this image because imagining how the bleed and trim lines affect your design can be difficult for people without design experience. Only one other service I tested, FedEx, has this tool, and I think it is the best way to view a proof. If you select a template with an add-on like spot gloss or metallic finishes, Vistaprint lets you preview these effects with a video.Vistaprint metallic preview full screenVistaprint will also show a video preview for metallic finishes.Vistaprint proofVistaprint’s proof lets you see cards in someone’s hand, a helpful visualizer.Vistaprint Spot Gloss ExampleVistaprint shows a video to preview what adding spot gloss to cards will look like.Vistaprint metallic preview full screenVistaprint will also show a video preview for metallic finishes.Vistaprint proofVistaprint’s proof lets you see cards in someone’s hand, a helpful visualizer.Vistaprint’s customer service was also among the best; representatives were responsive, helpful, and friendly. My original order was delivered but stolen from my porch over the winter holidays. When I called Vistaprint in a panic, the company quickly reprinted and shipped my order for free, and the new batch of cards arrived four days later. Should you find printing errors with your cards, Vistaprint claims a “100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee.” The company will evaluate how to handle each situation “on a case by case basis,” but will reprint cards for free if errors are the company’s fault, a customer service representative told me.Vistaprint provides a better overall experience in creating a business card than any other service we tested.Vistaprints cards cost $32, or 32¢ per card at the time of writing (not including shipping, but including an $8 charge for printing color on both sides).
A Vistaprint representative confirmed that the site often has significant discounts that include cards and shipping costs, so we recommend checking for promo codes before ordering. Prices are consistently lower if you order more cards: When I priced an order of 500 cards (Jukebox’s minimum order) at Vistaprint, the cost per card went down to 10¢, slightly more than Jukebox and roughly the average cost of the other services we tested.A screenshot showing the pricing interface on Vistaprint's websiteVistaprint shows you comparative costs when you start ordering. It often runs significant discounts on cards and shipping; we recommend checking the site for promo codes before ordering.
Vistaprint’s standard shipping is among the least expensive of any service we tested, and I received my initial batch of cards on time, eight days after ordering. For even faster service, Vistaprint offers three-day Express shipping; the cost varies based on the order, but my estimated Express costs were around $20. If you truly need cards immediately, we recommend going with a service that offers same-day in-store pickup.Flaws but not dealbreakersDuring our testing, Vistaprint charged us $6 to print colors on the back of our cards, an extra cost that didn’t present itself until I was already designing (this surcharge may vary based on card quantity, and with the site’s standard pricing rises to $8). The cost isn’t unreasonable, but it would be nice if it were obvious up front.Like many services we tested, Vistaprint prints products beyond business cards. After designing your card, you can proceed directly to checkout by clicking a checkout button, but if you click a “next” button instead, you will be prompted with several pages of additional products, including caps, pens, car magnets, and lawn signs. If you are starting a business and want coordinated swag, that might be convenient, but if you aren’t, it’s annoying to wade through.Upgrade pick: Jukebox PrintPhoto: Michael HessionUpgrade pickJukebox PrintFor complex designsFewer premade templates, slower turnaround, and a more difficult design process, but Jukebox’s print quality is excellent and the company offers more options for customization.Buy from Jukebox PrintIf you’re printing intricate custom designs, we recommend Jukebox Print. Jukebox aced our print test with vibrant colors, sharp fine lines, readable small typeface, and precise trimming. The company also has the most options for paper stock and extra features to customize cards. But Jukebox’s design process can be confusing, and we recommend leaving yourself ample time to account for designing cards and shipping from this Canada-based service. Jukebox also has one of the highest shipping costs of any service we tested, likely due in part to international shipping.I ordered Jukebox’s Wait and Save standard cards, with 16 pt stock and a matte finish, using our custom design. Ryan quickly identified Jukebox’s cards as the best from our test pool. He speculated that Jukebox used the finest screen, so photos and color swatches didn’t appear coarse or patterned with dots like they did on some of the other cards we received. The Jukebox cards’ fine lines were crisp and flowed continuously, and these were the only cards we ordered whose 2 pt typeface was legible as both white text on a black background and black text on a white background.Pull QuoteJukebox aced our print test with vibrant colors, sharp fine lines, readable small typeface, and precise trimming, but the design process can be confusing.The Jukebox cards were also cut consistently (along the same lines) and cleanly (without jagged edges). Jukebox did end up scaling our design to fit into the card, thereby altering it slightly, but when we compared them side by side with other cards to look for uneven edges, look for white spaces above our colorful border, and see if the fronts and backs of cards matched up, it was clear that Jukebox did the overall best trimming job.Jukebox offers the most custom options of any service we tested. You can choose from standard cards made from regular paper, recycled paper, or specialty material (including wooden, sparkle, cork, 3D embossed, and more). And Jukebox’s Same Day cards have a few different paper stock options. For more complex features like foiling, however, Jukebox recommends using one of the company’s own designers. At the time of publication, Jukebox had a starting quote of about $37 (USD) to help add spot UV and about $207 for a complete design.Parts of the design process are frustrating, however, especially compared with Vistaprint’s. Jukebox’s process has more steps, and they don’t flow as intuitively from step to step as they do for our main pick. Jukebox provides templates and guidelines for uploading your own artwork, but these confused me as a non-designer because they don’t clearly state design measurements. For example, I thought I followed the instructions to add .125 inch to each edge of the card, but Jukebox really means to each of the four sides—so my design didn’t cover enough of the “bleed space” to ensure my card would be printed and cut accurately. (Jukebox caught this after I placed my order, and resized the design for me.)You also have to pay for your cards before uploading your design and viewing a proof with Jukebox. This was confusing to me, and I had to ask about it via live chat—it felt odd to add the cards to my online cart and check out when I hadn’t actually made or seen the card. However, Jukebox emails you a proof before your order goes to production, and you have three chances to tweak your design; after that the company charges about $10 for each extra proof.
To make sure you get your design right, I recommend using Jukebox’s customer support representatives via phone, live chat, or email.Jukebox’s instructions can be confusing to navigate if you aren’t a designer; in a rookie mistake, I thought I followed these instructions but didn’t add the required .125 inch to each side of the card.I spoke with Jukebox support over live chat, email, and phone. As with Vistaprint, the representatives were consistently helpful and responded quickly via live chat and email. Jukebox has a handy FAQ section, which the company strongly recommends using to help prevent errors. Customer support representatives also said that in the event of a misprinted order, Jukebox would reprint and send cards as quickly as possible.Jukebox offers a relatively low number of templates (122) with themes ranging from woodworking to wildlife photography. This smaller pool is easier to search through than Vistaprint’s nearly 9,000 templates, or even Moo’s 332 designs, but it’s more limiting. (Jukebox’s basic editor tool lets you customize the background colors and fonts on templates, and add images, shapes, stripes, Clipart, or a QR code.) That said, we wouldn’t choose Jukebox to use the service’s templates—we recommend it as the best option for printing your own more-detailed designs.If you use one of Jukebox’s templates, you will need to download the file after you’ve added your own information and save it as a PDF, and re-upload the PDF after ordering; if you’re using your own design or artwork, you’ll be able to upload those files using the same email link. You’ll get a confirmation email with a link and instructions on how to upload.Jukebox’s card creator tool offers basic customization options.Jukebox’s cards cost 7¢ per card for the required minimum order of 500 cards, which is about average compared with prices for an order of that size from other services. Jukebox provides estimated shipping costs; at the time of publication, the standard shipping cost for our order was about $10 USD, twice as much as shipping for our top pick. (Both card and shipping costs are based on CAD, and the exchange rate can fluctuate.) The company estimates the turnaround time as nine to 11 days, but our cards actually arrived about three weeks after we ordered, though this was during holiday season.Jukebox does have a same-day printing option, which requires your proof to be approved by 9:30 a.m. PST, and shipping still takes one to three days. Same-day printing has fewer paper stock and finish options, but you can get a batch as small as 100 cards because the cards are printed digitally. (Although digital printing quality is similar to offset printing, offset printing costs decrease with volume if you need more cards.) My estimated shipping cost for the cheapest Same Day option of 100 16 pt semigloss cards—shipping costs vary depending on quantity and paper weight—was about $30 at the time of publication. You can also pick up cards for free at one of Jukebox’s offices in Toronto, Vancouver, or New York City.When you need cards printed ASAP: StaplesPhoto: Michael HessionAlso greatStaples Business CardsIf you need something todayIf you have to have cards right away, Staples makes above-average cards for same-day pickup at a reasonable price. The company has over 1,300 locations and offers the most consistent ordering process from store to store.



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paypal credit card number       Fine detail: We included on our test cards typefaces ranging from 2 pt to 8 pt, on white and ...