Last week I designed and ordered business cards for a new client. The same card design and quantity was needed for three different employees. I put three different online printers to the job. The same file (only difference being name and contact info) was sent. I was not surprised to see different results in color and quality by each printer, but the differences gave me a better idea of what to expect from each printer.
Card #1 PrintRunner.com
PrintRunner.com was and STILL is one of my favorite online printers. I have never received a bad print order from this company. Great quality and always competitive on pricing. For this project, PrintRunner.com provided my favorite version of the card. The deepest blue’s, outstanding contrast, nice high (but not too high) gloss coating, clean cut edges, just a great quality print. Price: 22.95 for 500 cards + 14.11 UPS ground to MA.
Card #2 VistaPrint.com
VistaPrint.com could be the most widely-know online printer and certainly one of the more successful. It is a little unfair including this in the comparison as this card was printed on a matte stock rather than coated like the others- I HATE when coating cost extra! The “extra” could even cost less than another with it included, I just hate seeing that price go up, so i resisted the coating just in spite! Quality was OK. Color was somewhat dull (as you would expect with NO coating!), thin flimsy stock. OK, OK – I will spring for the coated next time…. Price: $21.14 for 500 cards including shipping. As far as the price goes, its about as low as you will pay for online printing.
Card #3 PrintQucikness.com
Not a bad card. Colors are a little warm, not a whole lot of contrast. The registration was off though, you can see that without a loupe. Also seems like kind of a cheap coated stock, flimsy. I like a stiff card, it represents a firm handshake. Price: $85 for 1000…. ouch…
Conclusion
The bronze goes to VistaPrint.com. If you search the web you will find mixed results about this company. They are one of the top sellers in online printing. However, I will agree they lack on quality in their products and I had to turn down a ton of extras just to place my order. Use them for the freebies and quickies.
Second place goes to PrintQucikness.com. I used to use them exclusively when I did freelance design full time. They sent me a bad batch of postcards once where the ink did not dry, and I missed a deadline. In this case the quality was good, pricing was good. They redeemed themselves.
I award first place to PrintRunner.com. They always provide me with great products, they have comparable prices, and the ordering process was quick and painless.
- Get 100 4-color Business Cards for $9.95 – Click here to Get Yours Now
By the way, I received all my cards on the same day (5 days), how strange! Please feel free to comment on any of the printers listed. Love feedback!
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My name is Christian. I am a designer, developer, printer, marketer, blogger, photographer, husband and father. I live my life by trial and error. I promise to enlighten, engage, and have a little fun along the way. Will you follow me on my online journey?
Please don’t use Vistaprint or recommend it to your readers.
Using Vistaprint could very likely lead to you being signed up to FAKE discount clubs and hundreds of dollars benig taken from you Visa/bank without your knowledge or permission.
I have a huge blog post with all the details of all of the different scamming sites Vistaprint and Adaptive Affinity run and how best to get a refund.
http://www.hubbers.com/index.php/i-got-scammed-by-vistaprint-and-adaptive-marketing-and-adaptive-affinity-ltd-and-amazon/
If you don’t believe me check this blog and the scores of comments form people who have been ripped off!
http://www.thegeneva.com/vistaprint-scamvprewards-scam-warning/
Great…!!! Finally somebody made this comparation.
I’ve been ordering from Vistaprint, but I was never satisfy with their quality. Yeah, they are cheap… but cheap quality also. I’ll try printrunner.com next time I order…
Thanks man
I’m not familiar with PrintRunner or PrintQuickness but have had similar experiences with VistaPrint. Have you ever tried OvernightPrints? I’ve been using them primarily and was wondering if anyone had a comparison to the other vendors. My clients have been very pleased with their quality.
Overnightprints is another great one! I have used them before and recommend them to anyone. click on business cards below in the TAGS to see the latest reviews and deals.