PRINTING GUIDES
Understand the craft before you choose.
Clear introductions to specialist printing techniques, tactile papers, multi-layer constructions and AI-assisted artwork—so you can make better design and production decisions.
A PRACTICAL LIBRARY
Start with the effect you want to create.
Use these guides to understand colour, shine, relief, texture and thickness—or to prepare an AI-assisted design that accounts for real printing requirements. Process guides explain the craft; product pages show the configurations currently available to order.
If the right route is not obvious, tell us the impression you want, your quantity, timing and artwork status. We will narrow the options with you.
01 · PROCESS
Printing techniques
See how each process changes colour, relief, shine, edge detail or the silhouette of the card.
01
Hot Foil Printing
Metallic or pigmented foil transferred with heat and pressure for an opaque detail that can be reflective, satin or matte.
02
Letterpress Printing
Inked or blind impressions pressed into paper for controlled colour and tactile depth.
03
Embossing and Debossing
Raised or recessed relief created with tooling, used alone or in register with ink or foil.
04
Painted Edges
Colour applied to the cut edge, most visible on duplex, triplex and ultra-thick constructions.
05
Spot UV
Clear gloss placed on selected areas to create contrast against the surrounding surface.
06
Raised 3D UV Printing Guide
How raised clear coating works, when to choose it, how it differs from Spot UV and embossing, and how to prepare the mask.
07
Thermography Printing
Raised printed detail formed by heating resin powder over fresh ink.
08
Rounded Corners
How radius choices and corner cutting change the handling and silhouette of a card.
09
Offset Printing
How plate-based lithographic printing builds precise multi-colour work across a production run.
02 · MATERIAL
Papers & constructions
Compare surface character, thickness, colour and the ways separate layers can be combined.
01
Favini Sumo Paper
Ultra-thick black and white stock with a dense edge and a strong fit for foil and impression.
02
Recycled Paperboard
What to verify when choosing a recycled board: fibre, colour, recycled content, certification and finish compatibility.
03
Duplex and Triplex Business Cards
How bonded layers create thickness, edge contrast and multi-stock constructions.
04
Velvet-Finish Paper
How a velvet-finish stock differs from soft-touch lamination, and what to verify before specifying either.
05
Curious Metallics Paper
Pearlescent papers whose surface character changes as light moves across the card.
06
Fedrigoni Sirio Pearl Blend Paper
A two-tone black-and-white board with a pearlescent surface on both sides.
07
Lamination for Business Cards
Protective film and surface effect—what it changes in appearance, handling and durability.
08
Colorplan Paper
Colours, weights and surfaces—plus practical guidance for foil, letterpress, embossing and layered cards.
09
Keaykolour Paper
A coloured uncoated range with natural grain, useful bulk and strong possibilities for pressure and foil.
10
Fedrigoni Materica Paper
A rough, bulky, fibre-rich paper with mineral colours and a distinct response to foil, print and impression.
03 · AI & ARTWORK
Designing with AI—preparing for print
Copyable prompts, numerical specifications and practical checks for turning an AI-generated idea into a useful business-card file or professional production brief.
01
How to Prompt AI for a Print-Ready Business Card
Exact size, safe area, bleed, resolution, colour and QR guidance—with a copyable prompt and physical preflight checklist.
02
Using AI to Design Luxury Business Cards
How AI can support hot foil, letterpress and blind-impression concepts—and why every physical process needs separate production artwork.
04 · PREPARATION
Preparing artwork
Once the paper and process are clear, the artwork must be built for production. Check file format, colour mode, resolution, bleed and safe area before upload.
THE LUXURY SAMPLE PACK
Reading helps. Holding the work answers more.
Compare papers, thicknesses and genuine finishing processes in person before deciding what belongs on your card.