In my self-promo classes we talk a lot about where to have mailers and other promotional materials printed.
I recommend Vistaprint to my students because generally they are on a tight budget, and VP prints stuff for “free” (plus upload fees, and you pay extra for UV gloss coating and shipping).
There are two tricks to getting the biggest bang for your buck at Vistaprint:
1. Look around for their special offers and promo codes. When you place your first order, join their e-mail list. You will get several offers via e-mail every week.
2. Order multiple products all at once, so you only have to pay shipping one time.
The photo above shows one of my recent Vistaprint orders: a hundred postcards, ten folded holiday cards (with envelopes), ten sheets of letterhead, a sheet of stickers, two styles of return address labels, AND two hundred and fifty business cards—all for around $60. Everything looks fantastic. I designed each piece using VP’s product templates, which are available for download (click “Artwork Specifications” under the title “Support,” at the bottom of the home page). My only complaint: I think the holiday card template is inaccurate. Beware, there.
Ninety percent of my students who use Vistaprint are happy with the results. There have been a few mis-cut business cards and off-color postcards over the years, but I guess that’s to be expected every so often from any print shop.
Moo is also excellent, if you don’t mind spending a little more. Unlike VP, they offer free color printing on the back. And at Moo, you can get business cards with rounded corners. Very nice. Read more about Moo mini cards on my blog.
At Overnite Prints, you can get free spot gloss—awesome! And many of my students love GotPrint; this one offers special shapes, for those of you who simply can’t be put in a box.
In the end, the prices and quality are all competitive. A wise illustrator will get to know all of the products offered by her favorite printer, and will use them to promote herself in various ways.
And class, don’t forget: No matter the quality of the print, it’s the quality of the imagery that matters most.
Moo business card by Lacey Eberle (upper left); Postcards, from bottom left to upper right: Molly Wilson and Joanna Gorham (GotPrint spot gloss); Katrina Kopeloff‘s card (VistaPrint) is cut off at the lower right.
illustories 