Thank-You Card Printing Tips

Thank-you cards are the perfect tokens of appreciation for those who have helped you celebrate special events such as graduations, weddings, births, anniversaries and more. They're also great for sending to business customers, packed with incentives to reward loyalty. No matter how you use thank-you cards, know that you can enhance their value with the proper printing techniques. By ascribing to the following thank-you card printing principles, you can look great, build credibility and ultimately connect with those dearest to your cause.

Start with a template

Download free thank-you card templates before you begin your design so you can ensure your artwork matches up with your printer's presses. Doing this now can save you a boatload of headaches (and more thank a pocketful of cash) later and will ensure that your final printed thank-you cards look as great off the press as they do on your computer screen. This is because thank-you card printing templates come pre-formatted with guidelines for backgrounds, cutlines and safe areas; and are already in the proper resolution (300 dpi) and color mode (CMYK) for four-color process printing. Don't worry – there are no graphic design elements on these templates, so you can still design anything you want!

Save money with postcard thank-you cards

You can lower your thank-you card printing costs by turning postcards into thank-you cards. Postcards are the most cost-effective direct-mail medium to print, and they're also the cheapest to send postage-wise. You can still get supremely creative with your thank-you card designs, and can include photos, illustrations, collages and more. If you're really trying to be budget-friendly but don't have the know-how or time to design your own thank-you cards, you can see if your local community college has students who need to build their portfolios. If so, you can probably get professional-grade thank-you card design work for pennies on the dollar – or even free, depending on the situation. Your best bet is to get in touch with instructors who can pass the word on to their students.

Print to personalize

If your thank-you cards will include personalized, handwritten messages you'll need to print one side uncoated. The side with the artwork can be printed on a glossy or matte coated sheet, while the other side should be uncoated so your pen ink can soak in. Choose a premium cover stock such as 13-point recycled or super-thick 16-point matte or gloss stock – if you're not sure what different paper stocks and finishes look and feel like, order a free sample of paper stocks to help you decide.

Get a hardcopy proof

Few things would be as embarrassing as sending out six dozen “Thak You” cards to everyone on your list. Hard-copy proofs are integral to ensuring that everything looks as planned and is flawless. It's definitely worth a few bucks now to save major headaches (and more cash) later, so consider a hard-copy proof an investment in a successful thank-you card mailing.