I’m about to let you in on one of my trade secrets. I know I really shouldn’t be doing this, but I just have to share with you all. I am a graphic designer. Yes, that means that I can’t just buy something off the rack. For the last 20 years, I’ve been designing and printing my own custom invitations. At first, that just meant printing them on my home computer, layering different cardstocks and adding a Costco printed photo. But times have changed my friend. Everything is digital now. When I owned my stationery company I researched and researched and I have my favorite online digital printers that I now order the majority of my printing from. I love a good paper, good print quality, and low price. I would love to pass some of my best sources on to you. Trust me when I say that I have tested out a ton of companies. There are a lot out there and I am sure I will add to this list as I find other good ones, but these met my expectations on paper selections, pricing, and speed. Especially as you start to think about your Christmas cards or ordering custom invitations, business stationery or any other custom stationery.
Just a note to keep in mind. I usually order “Postcard” style printing. That is a flat, double-sided card. It’s usually a lot less expensive than a folded card, although all these companies offer that also. If I want anything but a white envelope, I will either order from Paper Source or Envelopes.com.
All of the companies below offer free samples that can be mailed to you so you can see the papers and printing available. I have a box full of samples so when I have a specific need I can
CatPrint – One of my top two online printing companies. I love the selection of paper (luxe cotton paper used for letterpress!), the fact that I can print one if I want and the speed of printing (3 days!). I ordered my wedding invitations here because I really wanted the cotton paper. They also have foil printing which is super popular and trendy and decadent. I had a test print done, but it wasn’t available on the cotton so I choose paper over printing. Use this link to get $10 off your order!
Overnight Prints – This is also one of my top two. I actually do ALL of my Christmas card printing here. I usually print 6×9 oversized postcards, double-sided in the heavy duty 15pt cardstock. This stuff is thick! I love the smooth matte paper and how good photographs look on this. The ONLY downside to this place is that shipping can get long. I usually shell out the dollars to get it in a more reasonable time period. Their name is Overnight Prints, so you could get it overnight if you really needed it that fast.
Mingo Press – This companies customer service is by far the best I have worked with for an online printer. Their quality is amazing. They are a little more expensive, but they really do custom work and can print to pretty much any size or quantity you want. If you have a special size or printing need, definitely contact them first. Sign up for the mailing list and you will get some really cool, creative mailers sent to you. This company has a top-notch design team and their site is really cool to look at.
Moo Printing – This company is by far the most unique with some amazing products. Not only do they offer high-end printing and paper but you can have a different back to every one of your cards! Can’t decide what photo to use for Christmas? Are you a photographer that doesn’t know what photo to highlight? No worries here! YOu can have them all! Pricing is a little more, as to be expected but their quality is top-notch.
So, there you have it. My four top online printing resources. Let me now how they work out for you!
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