With so many printers capable of producing excellent quality holiday postcards nowadays, there’s no longer a reason to go out and spend absurd amounts on mass-produced cards. If you are going to be doing your holiday card printing at home this year, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with how to choose the right paper. In this article, you will learn how to choose the right paper for your holiday postcards.
1. Printer Model
The main thing you need to look at is the printer model you have. You should be able to identify the printer model you have by looking at the front of the printer or the back toward the serial number. You can check the manual to see what they recommend. You mainly want to see what cardstock your printer can handle. Not every printer can handle cardstock for postcards of a certain amount of thickness.
You want to ensure that you are choosing a paper that your printer can handle. Otherwise, you risk getting stuck in a paper jam. You will find some cardstock that goes as heavy as 130 pounds or more. In general, the majority of at-home and consumer-grade printers can handle around 80-pound paper. The best cardstock would be around 100 to 120 pounds as it sets a solid base for your holiday card.
2. Paper Finish
Another thing that you need to consider would be the type of finish you want for your holiday postcards. Are you looking for a glossy finish? Are you looking for a matte finish? There are pros and cons to each. It comes down to what you prefer. The majority of the greeting cards out there use a semi-gloss finish. Therefore, it’s typically the more common choice. However, it’s up to you what you prefer.
3. Price
Another thing that you will want to consider when choosing would be the price of the postcard cardstock. You want to find something that fits your budget. The higher the quality of the paper, the more you are going to pay. Because of this, it comes down to what you are willing and able to pay for your holiday postcard printing.
4. Get Extras
Not only do you want to have quality cardstock for your cards, but you also want to have extra materials that you can use to create unique-looking cards. It’s always a good idea to stash some foil sheets, acetate sheets, and even glitter cardstock to add some flare to your cards. These things can help you add some accents and other flares to make your holiday cards stand out. If you just relied on plain white cardstock, things can get boring in a hurry.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the right paper for your holiday cards. You can do a little trial and error. Your printer may be able to handle thicker paper than you might assume. Use the tips above, and you can start to create your special holiday postcards this year to stand out from the rest.
