Greeting cards

Greeting card production

A token of attention that has served people from time immemorial. By writing a few words on a card, you can convey your feelings and emotions to others. A small expression of gratitude captured on a little but very colourful piece of heavy paper.
Types of cards
Recent years have shown that the art of creating cards is experiencing a new wave of growth. To assist in their creation, manufacturers actively use graphics and new, advanced technologies. Cards are divided by their purpose. They can be greeting, thank-you, invitation, condolence cards, and so on.
1. The standard option. The product is printed in a rectangular shape and can be folded in two or take the form of a card. A decorative image is printed on the front. On the back, a message is written, with space to indicate the recipient and the sender.
2. Reusable cards. This is an innovative product that has become widespread recently. A card folded in two has a compartment where you can insert a sheet with wishes, and so on. The decorative design remains unchanged, but the meaning of the message can be changed.
3. The musical card, which became widespread in the 1990s. A melody matching the occasion plays when the card is opened. The technology for producing a musical card is more complex than for a standard one. The parts are assembled by hand.
4. The advertising card. The name speaks for itself. It began to be produced alongside the greeting type. The advertising product is a small standard-sized card on which information about a product or service is printed. The advantage of presenting advertising this way is its unobtrusive form.
5. The business type of card is intended for the formal congratulation of a partner and other people who are significant in conducting business.
6. The photo card or scenic card. This product combines creative design solutions with the art of photography. Any image can be printed on it at the customer's request.
Card production
To obtain a quality product, the manufacturer takes into account two components: quality source material and the card's design. For card printing, coated paper and thin cardboard are used as the source material. Various auxiliary materials are used for decoration. Their choice is determined by the idea of the designer or the customer.
Invitation printing, like that of other cards, is divided into two types: single-page and double-page. The standard size of a single card is 14.8 × 21 centimetres for the single-page model and 29.7 × 21 centimetres when unfolded.
Card printing in Kyiv is also carried out to European standards: 20 × 10 centimetres and 20 × 20 centimetres when unfolded. Standard paper sizes in A6, A5 and A4 formats are used for production.
Printing methods
Regardless of whether cards are made to order or for a wide range of consumers, there are three ways to produce them:
· The silk-screen method;
· Digital;
· Offset.
The first method is carried out using a stencil. It is appropriate when a large print run needs to be printed. This is a fairly fast and inexpensive method.
Digital printing allows a large quantity of products to be produced in a short time. The advantage of this method is the ability to make adjustments.
The offset method makes it possible to produce about 13 thousand copies in one hour.
After printing, the products undergo embossing, foil stamping and silk-screen processing depending on the final appearance of the product.