What Printable Note Cards To Use?

I want to print note cards with images on the outside and writable on the inside. I would prefer glossy printing surface. what card stock have you had success with? I use a Canon i9900 printer.

Thanks for your advice.

Hi, Ed. I use Red River GC 60-lb matte for my notecards. This is an archival stock that customers love, and I sell a ton of them at art shows and gift shops here in NM. The color is crisp and true, and they make a beautiful presentation. Personally, I prefer the matte, but Red River also offers glossy and variety of other options and sizes. I print my cards on a Canon PIXMA MP950. Red River also has free setup templates if you need them. I've been dealing with them now for about a year, and am very please with their products, customer service, and fast shipping.

You can check it out at www.redrivercatalog.com.

Good luck!

Thanks Gail. I searched prior to posting this and found Red River. I thought they looked good, but thought I would see if there were other options. Your post has confirmed my feeling that Red River was the one to get. I have ordered a box of matte as well as a box of glossy to get started. Thanks again.

Ed

Hi Ed. I started with Moab Entrada folded note cards, but soon discovered that people buying notecards don't really care if it's archival, high quality paper, etc. The price I had to charge was just too darn high using that quality of paper. On the recommendation of a friend I tried some Avery Matte White Note Cards. They come with envelopes, 60 cards to a pack, and are much less expensive, and still look very nice. I'm pretty sure Avery would also offer a gloss finsh if you want to go that route. The number for the matte is Avery 8315. I package them in bags and boxes from Clearbags.com.

Ed, I use Avery Matte Coated for Vivid Color, #3265, 20 to a pack and Glossy Photo Quality, #3269, 15 to a pack. You may have to order the glossy from Avery of another on-line supplier. I use a Canon i9100 printer and have had good luck. I use them for personal Christmas cards mostly.

I actually don't print on the card stock except for a nice black outline box. Then I glue down a 4x6 print in the middle. I use Leader Baronials card stock and envelop in Natural color. Once I got a routine down I could pump out about 3 per minute, doing the glue down, envelop tuck, put in clear bag, sealed and priced. Few hours a week is all it took and the pay off is much larger IMO than just a printed card stock. I had many customers buy them and frame them up as is. The card is 5x7 and fits a standard frame, and the black outlineprinted on the card stock gives the appearence of a matte. You get 3-4 card racks stocked around town and youre pulling in 1000-1500 a month or more for not much time at all. The card stock I used is from Paper Zone and is about $35 for 250 card and envelopes.

Mind me asking what you guys charge for those – is there much in the way of a profit to be made?

Jerry Dalrymple

There's not a big profit in cards, but folks love them, and when I do art shows, it will sometimes lead them to buy a nice print or two. And I do find that most buyers here appreciate the archival quality of my cards. I use the whole deal as a selling point: prints and cards all archivally printed by the artist (me), never mass-produced or farmed out, archivally-matted, etc. I sell my cards at art shows for $5 each, three for $12, and I sell between 40-70 during a one or two-day show. At consignment-type shops, I get $6 per card and no three-fer price - necessary since the shops take a commission. I think in your market you'll be able to charge more.

A beautiful, high-quality card is also advertising for your photo business. I print brief artist info on the back and emphasize the archival, never-mass produced aspect of all my work, along with my website address, all in a simple, elegant font in subdued colors. This has generated traffic to my website and also resulted in print sales.

I don't mean this to sound like bragging, but at the art shows, my cards generally out sell those of other photographers by about five to one, including those that are priced lower than mine. A high-quality card makes a top-end looking presentation for only a little money and casts a pleasant glow on all your work.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you!