Premium Papers

A common misunderstanding for Premium Paper is that each option under this category is a thick business card. While we do offer a range of thicknesses for this category, they are labelled as premium because they are imported from Europe. MorningPrint imports these papers from a company named Gmund am Tegernsee located in Gmund, Germany. Each of the papers from Gmund have their own unique appearances and characteristics.

Heavy Nouveau with Raised Ink

For most papers, there is a thick and thin version available. Every time we refer to a paper with the adjective ‘heavy’, it refers to the fact that that specific paper is a thicker option.
For example:
Linen and Heavy Linen
Silky Matte and Heavy Silky Matte
Aquarelle and Heavy Aquarelle

Sumo Nouveau with Laser Cutting

Nouveau and Heavy Nouveau and Sumo Nouveau- The paper family with the most thicknesses to choose from. Nouveau is the thinnest paper and is the only paper to be able to do Braille. Heavy Nouveau is slightly thicker than the standard business card. Sumo Nouveau is the thickest paper we offer in the company.

Heavy Linen with Raised Ink

Premium Papers also offer a choice of the type of texture you wish your business card to have. The entire Nouveau family, are true matte papers with a creamy white coloring and the paper’s natural roughness. Linen and Heavy Linen is a combination of gridlock texture and the brightest shade of white. Scotland is one of the thinner texture paper options, with a sharp deep texture and a bright white.

Scotland with Raised Ink

Aquarelle and its partner, Heavy Aquarelle are a creamy white with soft, watercolor texture. Finally, in contrast to all the other textured papers, Silky Matte and Heavy Silky Matte are a bright white with all it’s texture smoothed out. If you run your fingers along this paper, it has a silky completely smooth feel.

Aquarelle with Bronze Foiling

Within our Premium Paper selection are also environmentally friendly options such as Aquarelle, Heavy Aquarelle, Vintage Kraft and Yupo. Vintage Kraft is made of recycled paper and is the color of cardboard. As it is made of recycled paper, it has a little bit a of hairy feel to it. Yupo is a synthetic paper and does not have a paper feel to it at all. It is cool to the touch and a bright white.

Vintage Kraft with Glossy Silver Foiling

Yupo also happens to be the most durable premium paper we offer. As a synthetic paper, it is both water proof and tear proof.

Silky Matte with Raised Ink

With such a wide variety of Premium Papers, just about every finishing option is available to these papers such as:
Nouveau can do Braille
Laser Cutting
Foil Accent
Raised Ink
Press Embossing
Round Corners and Punches
Spot Color

 

Eco-friendly Business Cards and Stickers

MorningPrint has several environmentally friendly options to choose from in both our paper and plastic selections. Ranging in color, texture and material, they each have their own characteristics.

1. Vintage Kraft

Vintage Kraft

Vintage Kraft is made of recycled paper pulp creating eco-friendly paper for business cards. Since it is made of recycled pulp, at times it is possible to feel a hairy texture on this paper. It also has a rich brown color, similar to the color of cardboard. Due to its dark coloring, black prints the best of all the other color choices.

Vintage Kraft Stickers

We have also turned Vintage Kraft into a sticker, becoming one of the two eco-friendly sticker options from MorningPrint. It is also possible to choose this paper for both our post card sizes, 4×6 and 5×7.
An excellent finishing option choice for this business card is Foiling.
View Vintage Kraft with Glossy Gold Foiling

2. Aquarelle/Heavy Aquarelle

Aquarelle with Raised Ink

A matte, creamy white textured paper Aquarelle and it’s thicker partner Heavy Aquarelle are another option for eco-friendly business cards. Both have received a certificate with a five star rating from the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) saying these papers meet their standards for forest management. As a watercolor paper, both absorb color well and reflect watercolor designs the best.
Aquarelle is available in our postcard sizes 4×6 and 5×7.
Our favorite finishing option to pair with this paper is Raised Ink.

3. Yupo

Yupo

Yupo is a creamy white synthetic paper, which makes it an eco-friendly business card. Ironically, it does not have natural paper feel as it is cool to the touch and quite smooth.
At 9pt it is also our thinnest paper selection for environmentally friendly business cards. However, it is also our most durable because it is both waterproof and tear proof.
This paper was also made into a sticker, called Durable Sticker, for our strongest sticker and second eco-friendly sticker option.
View Yupo Sticker’s waterproof characteristics
View Yupo’s waterproof characteristics

4. Plastics

Clear+White Plastic

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of our plastic business cards are made of PET plastic. PET plastic is recognized as a safe, non-toxic,  lightweight and flexible material that is 100% recyclable. This material is very thin, around the thinness of a water bottle.
We have a variety of options to choose from such as Clear, White, Silver and Hologram plastic business cards.
View Hologram Plastic Business Cards

What You Need to Know: Frosty Plastic

Frosty Plastic is our plastic with the fastest production timeline. It only takes two business days for stamping the foiling on and an additional two business days for delivery.

Frosty Plastic is environmentally friendly
Like the majority of our plastic products, Frosty Plastic is made of PET material. PET plastic is an environmentally friendly material. It is the same material that water bottles are made from. Some of it’s characteristics include being quite thin, light weight, and flexible.

Frosty means it is not crystal clear
The part of the name ‘Frosty’ has been confusing to some clients. Some believe there is a possibility it has a tint of white ink, which is not true (or possible). In fact, Frosty Plastic is a clear plastic business card. However, rather than being crystal clear, like looking through a window, it is blurry. As a transparent card, Frosty Plastic can only accommodate single sided designs.
Click here to view the blurry transparent quality of our Frosty Plastic

Only one Foiling color is possible in Frosty Plastic (that means no ink printing)
Another point of confusion for those interested in these cards is that Frosty Plastic can only print one color of foiling. That means your whole design will be done in the foiling you pick. As such, ink printing, gradients and shading are not possible in this product.

Foiling Colors Available
Glossy Gold
Matte Gold
Glossy Silver
Matte Silver
Hologram
Bronze
Blue
Green
Pink
Black
Red

Wide Foiling Areas are Prone to Fading Away
Wide or large foiling designs are at a high risk of oxidation. Oxidation means that the foiling is peeling off the plastic stock. The peeling will reveal the transparent plastic stock underneath. It will look worn out as if the cards are old and worn from use.
If you must have a wide foiling area, our printing team will need to review your file and discuss the risk with you before printing.

Thinner and Smaller Design Elements are Welcomed
Normally, we try to warn clients that by using thin and small design elements and fonts their information could be difficult to see and read, especially on our Clear Plastic (No White Ink). However, our foiling is stamped on, and the colors of the foiling can not be altered. Therefore we can guarantee legibility for smaller and thinner design elements, even against the transparent background of the Frosty Plastic.

Postcards: Marketing and Invitations

MorningPrint’s postcards fulfill many purposes, depending on the final design. Postcards are used for both business necessities and personal reasons. These postcards come in a range of paper options, including matte, metallic, glossy, texture, thick and thin papers. Depending on the chosen paper, different finishing options are available, such as: embossing, raised ink, foiling, and spot uv. When asked, we can do a folding service for those who want to created a folded postcard. Another special option we can address is that a postcard can be made into a bigger size, however the client will need to be flexible on the type of paper that is used and on the sizing.

Our postcards come in two sizes, 4×6 and 5×7 cards for the following papers:
Standard Coated 14pt/matte
Standard Coated 14pt/glossy
Standard Coated 20 pt/matte
Aquarelle
Nouveau
Heavy Nouveau
Linen
Heavy Linen
Scotland
Heavy Silky Matte
Star Dream
Heavy Star Dream
Vintage Kraft
Opaque White Plastic

Small Business/Company Uses:
The most primary use for our postcards in regards to businesses, is for marketing material. Marketing material can range from anything such as announcements to professional holiday cards. For those businesses which deliver, these postcards are an excellent choice as a Thank You card inside the package. Those in the fashion industry use these postcards to have images of their clothing or styles. Artists use the postcards as an actual postcard with images of their artwork on it. Those in the food industry use images of food on their postcards. These cards are also a good option for corporations who use postcards for sending professional holiday cards and reminders to their clients. Online companies use these postcards to provide extra information for a purchased product.

Personal Uses:
These postcards are also appropriate for personal uses. Some examples include invitations (ranging from wedding invitations to party invitations), thank you cards and holiday cards. In our experience, 4×6 tend to be more popular for RSVP cards and some menu cards. 5×7 postcards tend to be used for either invitations or menu cards or holiday cards.

Creating a Professional Holiday Card

Designing the right holiday card for your business can be tricky. You want your cards to be festive without losing the professionalism of your work. Elements of a professional holiday card will keep your company culture in mind and has a warm holiday message for everyone; whether it is your colleagues, employees or customers. Some holiday messages to consider are: Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, Warmest Wishes, and Holiday Greetings. If possible try to represent your business with your design. For example, a baker can have a design involving a tray of holiday treats and a caterer can feature a warm holiday meal.

4×6 Postcard in Standard Coated 14pt Matte

It would be advisable to also have a festive, neutral and professional design for your corporate holiday cards. We, at MorningPrint, noticed that reserved designs are most commonly used in creating professional holiday cards. That is not entirely necessary. With the use of warm colors and a familiar setting, a holiday card can be professional with a warm and even intimate design.
For example:
A cup of hot chocolate near a warm fireplace
A tray of holiday cookies
Mittens, scarves and gloves
A cartoon of pets in scarves

If these types of images do not fit in with your business, perhaps a more general winter design can suit your needs.
For example:
Sleigh bells with ribbons
Starry night sky over a forest in winter
Snowman
Snow falling

5×7 Heavy Star Dream

If this does not properly represent your business, then consider a geometric design. For example:
Geometric designs are always professional.
Pine needle with branches and leaves motif
A close up of a snowflake, showing many intricate details
Fireworks
In a fancy font, write “Happy Holidays” or “Happy New Year” in different languages.

Those interested in creating holiday cards for their business can use our postcard sizes, 4×6 and 5×7. Our postcards can be made with a fold in them so your holiday cards will need to be opened, like a gift from you.

 

Vertical Folded 5×7 Postcard Standard Coated 14pt Matte with Glossy Silver Foiling

Some special papers to choose from are:
Star Dream/Heavy Star Dream: Festive metallic papers with a gold dust shine. These papers have a warm and celebratory feeling. Raised ink will stand out against this sparkling paper.
Vintage Kraft: A naturally brown paper best suited for vintage or more casual designs. Foiling, especially red foiling really pops against this paper.

5×7 Vintage Kraft Postcard with Red Foiling

Heavy Linen: The most professional paper, with the brightest white while being upscale and fresh. This paper tends to look extra special with foiling or raised ink.
Heavy Nouveau: Our most elegant paper in a creamy white. Embossing will add to the professionalism of your holiday cards.

4×6 Standard Coated 14pt Matte with Glossy Gold Foiling

Heavy Silky Matte: An elegant paper with a silky touch that allows fingers to glide across the paper. For a holiday card, we recommend considering using foiling or embossing with this paper.
Aquarelle: A watercolor paper which displays warm colors and watercolor styles which look intimate. Looks beautiful with just ink.

5×7 Standard Coated 20pt Matte with Glossy Silver Foiling

Standard Coated papers: Silky feeling paper with a soft laminate shine. Involves our thickest postcard, at 20 pt and the 14pt Matte can use Spot UV for a visual shine.

We hope this article gave some guidance in how to create a professional yet festive holiday card.

4×6 Vintage Kraft