Painted edge business cards: when 32pt thickness is worth the upcharge
A working guide to painted edge business cards — why they exist, how 32pt stock changes the math, what edge colors look right, and when the premium pays off.
A painted edge business card is the easiest way to make someone notice your card without saying anything weird about it. The face of the card looks normal — clean printed artwork on premium uncoated stock — but the side profile shows a saturated band of color that catches the light when the card is held, handed over, or set down on a table.
It’s a finish that depends entirely on thickness. Painted edge on a normal 14pt or 16pt card barely registers; you can’t see the color band from across a desk. The magic shows up at 32pt — two pieces of 16pt stock laminated together with the painted color sealed in the middle layer — and that thickness is also the reason the cards cost more than the standard option. Here’s how to decide whether the upgrade earns its keep for what you’re handing out.
Read the full guide on Best Quality Printing →
