6 Cost-Efficient Ways to Achieve Luxury in Print
A quick scan of any type of print category on Pinterest will show you that people love luxury printing. Letterpress, diecutting, foil stamping - all of these are fantastic ways to achieve a unique custom print piece, but the cost is often budget prohibitive. Not a lot of people realize how much handwork goes into custom finishing unless you're working on a much larger scale.
Luxury doesn't have to be limited by your budget, however. There are a number of ways to achieve a high-quality, elegant or impactful print piece without expensive production or finishing techniques.
PAPER
High quality print starts with high-quality paper. Choose a paper that compliments your design without limiting your options for production and assembly. Paper coatings, weight, finish and color can all have a drastic effect on the presentation of a piece.
Specialty papers can be expensive, but are often drastically less than adding custom finishing. If you're really looking to make an impression, try going to a heavier weight, a duplex or metallic paper to give your piece a little bit more pizzazz.
SIZE
Size always matters with print - pricing for foil stamping and die cutting are based on the size of the die. Paying attention to factors like paper sizes can help you not only design a unique piece, but also help you lower costs by maximizing the yield of pieces per sheet. Most printers will tell you their maximum sheet size (ours is 13x19 or 13x26 for digital printing!).
Size is particularly important if you're designing a piece for mailing. There are specific regulations for most types of mailing that can make a big difference in postage costs for size and weight.
IMAGES & TYPE
The best way to achieve a luxury piece is to spend the effort where it will be the most noticed - on the design. Don't settle for low-resolution images or clip-art graphics. If you need to download a stock photo or graphical element, make sure you're sourcing from the right places. Be selective with typography and text, and don't be afraid to play with line and letter spacing.
DIGITAL
Finally, don't discount digital printing. These days, our digital presses produce quality that can rival any 4-color offset press, even on uncoated and some textured papers. With digital printing the possibilities are endless, and the technology is only getting better!