Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Got Print

My business card holder.
My last order of mini Moo cards displayed in a slinky. 

Raise you hands if you love Moo business cards, but hate the prices! I'm right there with you.

I needed more business cards before Bead Fest this year and because that, along with another show I'm doing before Christmas are both high volume shows, I needs lots of cards. I adore the Printfinity technology Moo does (printing a different photo on each business card if that's what you want) and the gorgeous matte card stock. But sometimes the pricey Moo cards are also distracting. I can't even tell you how many times people have stopped to "shop the cards" to find the perfect photo, just to clog up my booth.

Karen Totten mentioned Got Print has a similar heavy matte paper that she's been really happy with and the prices are much less for a larger number of cards. So I gave them a try, had some bumps in the road, but it all worked out perfectly in the end.

With Got Print, not only do you have lots of paper selections (including the heavy matte paper I got), but you can also order several different shapes.


I stayed with the traditional business card size because I didn't want to spend a bunch of time figuring out how to design within a different shape.

I use Photoshop Elements to do the majority of my photo editing and designs, but it will not convert RGB to CMYK color. Vistaprint and Moo are fine if you don't convert, but Got Print insists that it's converted. I found this handy dandy free RGB to CMYK converter online, and it worked perfectly.



The biggest issue was caused by my full bleed photo on the back, and their method of cutting the cards. Because they do a high volume with a quick turn around, they do not wait as long for the cards to fully dry before cutting them.

The initial set of cards printed arrived with jagged cut edges on the bottoms. After chatting with someone at GotPrint, I learned some things about printing I didn't know, and also how to get around this jagged edge issue.

#1: the matte paper is more prone to this issue. Use glossy or a protective coating (which makes it glossy). Having glossy paper wasn't an option for me.

#2: the full bleed photo needs to be uploaded as the front side design (printed first) so it has a longer drying time. The other side has white space along all the edges, so it wasn't an issue.

#3: Don't use a full bleed photo.

They reprinted my cards free, and I went with option #2. It would have been an even better result if I had selected #1 and #2,  or #3, but I really love the matte paper AND the full bleed photo.


I'm very happy with the results. The previous batch, if you touched them or looked closely at them, you could feel the jagged edges on the bottom edge. The new batch isn't completely perfect, but you would need a magnifying glass to notice, and it isn't noticeable by touch. I don't remember the exact price I paid, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 for 1000 cards. For the paper quality and price, I can live with the trade-off of a minor imperfection on one edge.

Will I still use Moo? Absolutely. But it will be reserved for orders or gifts. Not for shows.



4 comments :

  1. I need to try Got Print!! Like you I love MOO and the vast majority of people who came to my table loved them, and as you say rooted through to find their favorite. I do hope that means the card won't just get tossed away never to be seen again.

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  2. I bet they framed the gorgeous Moo cards they were digging through! I love your new cards too, fabulous!

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  3. Thank you for this timely post! I used to have some local friends with a printing business that made my cards, but since we've moved I've been wondering what to do. Have them ship the cards to me, make a new printing friend, or try an online service. Moo is super cost prohibitive, and my cards are like yours with a full color photo on the front, and text on the back...though I go for a glossy photo and matte back, like a mini-postcard. I'm pinning this post so I can always find it! Thanks Jen!

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  4. Thanks for the heads up! I have been using Vista Print Premium but now that I have opened up a shop, I have been considering getting new cards with own designs pictured. I have looked at Moo but I am just starting and there is NO way I could afford them.

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