Production of greeting and souvenir cards Natalia Merkulova. Printing and production of New Year's and greeting cards to order

* Calculations use average data for Russia

A postcard is a beautifully designed card that contains a certain emotional message and is used for congratulations, reminders of some event, invitations, as a souvenir, etc.

It's hard to imagine modern man who never bought or received postcards. Before the Internet and mobile communications were firmly established in our lives, people used to send postcards by mail on holidays. Now almost no one does this, but a new hobby has arisen - postcrossing, which consists in sending postcards to random correspondents and collecting postcards sent in response. By the way, find postcards for sale that are intended to be sent by mail, except perhaps in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and even then with difficulty. Postcrossers have to order postcards through online stores and receive them in the form of parcels. So the niche of postcard production in this moment just starting to fill up.

Opening a printing house for the production of postcards is not cheap, as it will require the purchase of expensive equipment and the provision necessary conditions production. Minimum investment- 2.5 million rubles. The enterprise can pay off in 12-18 months.

The quality of a postcard is determined by two components: design and paper. Since a postcard should bring joy to a person, remind him of some pleasant moment, and appearance, and the way it feels to the touch, should give the recipient pleasure. Modern postcards can be embossed, decorated with foil, sparkles, varnish. The cost of producing one such postcard is higher, but author's postcards successfully compete with bright and iridescent products with drawings specially created by artists for postcards. Do not forget about souvenir postcards with images of sights. They are popular among tourists and collectors, and their production is quite inexpensive.

The postcard manufacturing process consists of several stages: design development, layout layout, production technology selection, printing method determination, production materials selection, post-printing processing.

Without a doubt, good postcards can only be produced if there is a talented designer on staff who can both meet customer requests and meet deadlines and come up with new ideas for postcard design to leave all competitors behind. The salary of a designer in the regions is on average 25-30 thousand rubles, in the capital - from 50 thousand rubles.

To create a modern postcard, author's drawings, reproductions can be used famous works art, photographs, collages, cartoons, unique fonts, floral, ethnic and other ornaments, texts and more.

There are single-page and double-page postcards. The most common sizes are: "Classic" 148x210mm (opened 297x210mm); "Euro" 200x100mm (opening 200x200mm); "FlyCards" 105x146mm ("one-page"); standard formats A4, A5 and A6, folding and one-page.

There are three methods for printing postcards: digital, offset and silk screen.

Digital printing is done using digital equipment that receives an electronic image from a workstation. This method is used for small runs and allows you to make adjustments to single copies. A digital printing press designed for the rapid production of small-circulation printed products can be purchased for 500 thousand rubles. When choosing equipment, do not forget about the service. Find out where they are located in your region service centers how quickly they can start solving potential problems. On the market there is a choice of digital mini-printers that allow you to print and postcards. The cost is about 50 thousand euros.

In offset printing, the ink is transferred to the material through an offset cylinder, so you can print up to 13,000 prints per hour. Machines for high-quality full-color offset printing cost from 700 thousand rubles.

Silk-screen printing is carried out using a stencil using an unlimited number of colors. This is a fast and inexpensive way, suitable for circulations of more than 500 copies. The equipment will cost from 1 million rubles.

For printing postcards, as a rule, coated glossy or matte paper with a density of 250 grams per square meter up to 300 grams per square meter, thin cardboard, design paper.

Glossy paper has a smooth, shiny surface, is pleasant to the touch, produces excellent image quality, and requires less ink to print. Matte paper is stiffer, rougher than glossy paper, and is more often used for the production of postcards with a lot of text. Design paper is an expensive material that is similar in structure to hand-made paper. When working with designer paper, printing in one or two colors, printing with opaque inks, silk-screen printing, foiling, printing with gold and silver paints, and embossing are usually used. Paper is sold in packs of various sizes. The price depends on the density, the size of the sheets and the volume of the pack, the manufacturer. For example, a pack of designer double-sided paper, suitable for offset and digital printing, with a density of 300 grams per square meter costs 3,000 rubles; in a pack of 50 sheets, sheet size 70 by 100 centimeters. A pack of double-sided coated paper with a density of 260 grams per square meter costs 7,500 rubles. There are 125 sheets in a pack, the size of a sheet is 70 by 100 centimeters.

Depending on the selected printing method and paper type, the type of ink is determined. If you want to create the effect of a brilliant image and text that shimmers with gloss, then paint with the addition of varnish is used.

At the stage of post-print processing, the following operations are performed:

Foiling is the decoration of products with metallic, matte or holographic foil. The machine for foiling costs from 200 thousand rubles.
Embossing is the creation of an image with a stamp when heated. Sometimes foil is used for embossing, then this technology can be used as an alternative to foiling. A press for embossing and stamping can be purchased for 100 thousand rubles.
Lamination with glossy or matte film. A professional industrial printing laminator costs from 200 thousand rubles.
Varnishing - coating with varnish, including flavored or glitter (with sparkles), as a way of finishing printed products has existed for a long time. It is noticed that varnished prints look visually more attractive. Both the whole postcard and its parts are varnished. Continuous varnishing protects the surface of the postcard and preserves marketable condition on the long time. The use of matte varnish gives the product a velvety finish and perfectly emphasizes the image. Selective varnishing is applied on the part to which you want to pay attention. Very interesting postcards are obtained with combinations of glossy and matte varnishes. Equipment for continuous and selective UV varnishing costs more than 200 thousand rubles.
Hot stamping is a type of testing, the creation of a three-dimensional contour of an image on paper by extrusion. Convex can be hot or cold.
Creasing - creating a recess that allows you to conveniently fold a postcard. An electric creasing machine costs from 50 thousand rubles.
Die-cut along the contour, which allows you to create a product with non-standard patterned edges. Cutting is used when it is necessary to create a curly contour. The price of the product increases from this, as it is used optional equipment and a special cutting die. If the product must be with rounded corners, then both punching technology and rounding technology can be used. Equipment for cutting and rounding costs from 150 thousand rubles.

The workshop for the production of postcards consists of a warehouse for material, a warehouse finished products, premises for printing and post-press processing. Since a large amount of paper and ink is constantly in the printing room and equipment that generates heat is constantly working, then to climatic conditions higher demands are made. When preparing a production facility, you should consider the ventilation and air conditioning system, since the lack of their power or complete absence can lead to very unpleasant consequences.

For the production of paper products, temperature and humidity levels are very important. In an excessively dry room, paper shrinks in size, accumulates static electricity, becomes more brittle, warps. Typically, paper manufacturers recommend the following storage conditions for paper: temperature 17-19 degrees, relative humidity 30-50 percent. Since paper is hygroscopic in its properties, that is, it quickly absorbs and releases accumulated moisture, humidity below 30 percent can lead to the destruction of paper, and above 60 percent - to damage by fungus. The presence of sulfur oxide and nitrogen impurities in the air also leads to the destruction of the material. The air conditioning system in the finished goods warehouse must be able to cool freshly printed postcards.

The most powerful ventilation systems are installed in rooms with printing presses, since there is an increased release of heat and harmful substances. Ozone, butanol and toluene are the most common among harmful substances. Local suction or exhaust hoods are often used to organize air exchange. Insofar as industrial premises have an increased explosion and fire hazard, air vents are insulated and valves are installed.

The equipment of the air conditioning and ventilation system in a small printing house will cost from 300 thousand rubles.

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Sum start-up capital to open a business for the provision of silk-screen printing services will amount to 650 thousand rubles. Operating profit can be from 50,000 rubles. Net profit from 42,500 rubles per...

The postcard is one of the most simple ways pay attention and congratulate a friend, colleague or loved one from memorable event. Thanks to a large selection of sizes and design, it can be selected for an addressee of any age, gender or status. By contacting the CiferBlat printing house, you can order the production of postcards original design on the most favorable terms.

Benefits of making custom postcards

Presented in stores big choice greeting cards the same design. To truly please a person, you need to congratulate him in a special way. It used to be said that best gift- the one made by hand. If we rephrase this expression for modern realities, we can say that the best postcard is the one that is made to order.

ZiferBlat printing house specialists will print original images according to your layout. This will give you the opportunity to design a unique greeting card with the most sincere wishes in it.

Postcard formats and their features

ZiferBlat printing is available for printing postcards of any format and design. Here you can order postcards designed in the style of a certain holiday, or photo postcards, in the manufacture of which photographs are used.

As for the paper format on which postcards are printed, it can be as follows:

A4 (210x297 mm);
A5 (148x210);
A6 (105x148);
Euro (98x210 mm);
140x140 mm.

Before ordering printing of postcards in Moscow at the ZiferBlat printing house, you should clarify the size and type of image design.

Postcard design options: design, paper, lamination

A postcard is, first of all, a bright and colorful picture, which can be created only in the process of careful processing. As with other types of images, it is printed first. After that, lamination is carried out, which gives the picture a shine and allows you to protect it from various influences.

The last stage is the creasing procedure, through which a fold is formed on the postcard. This makes it possible to fold the image and give it any shape.

How much does it cost to print postcards?

The press of postcards to order is one of the most demanded services in ZiferBlat printing house. Its popularity is due not only to high quality but also inexpensive. Our price for printing greeting cards or other images depends only on the following factors:

circulation;
type of printing (offset, digital, embossing);
format;
color images;
complexity of additional processing.

Clients of our printing house can use online calculator, with which you can calculate in advance the cost of making postcards to order.

Benefits of ordering in CiferBlate

ZiferBlat Printing House provides a wide range of printing services that individuals and companies can use. The presence of a modern material and technical base allows us to print images of varying complexity in in large numbers. In addition to prompt printing, we guarantee our customers the following benefits:

qualified service,
the possibility of making postcards according to your own layout,
high quality materials and equipment,
a variety of printing and image processing methods,
available rates.

Making postcards is one of the specializations of the Idea Print company. The company is ready to produce any number of postcards in accordance with your individual requirements in the shortest possible time. Since "Idea Print" focuses on urgent printing, postcards can be made in the shortest possible time.

What are postcards for?

The answer to this question is obvious. For a long time, postcards have been used to congratulate relatives and friends on the holidays. You can order postcards to congratulate your employees, partners or clients. All of them will be pleased to receive a card for the holiday with congratulations and wishes from your company. Thus, you remind yourself. Customers may want to use the services or products you offer on the eve of the holidays or on public holidays.

What postcards can you choose?

For making postcards, you can choose from several design options. The first, and the most budgetary, is the production of postcards according to a standard layout. Our designer will offer you several ready-made options to choose from, and you choose the one that suits you best. Then the necessary changes will be made to the layout (small, for example, changing the inscription).

The second option is personalized postcards. It will take more time to make them. Work will also cost more. Our designer will take into account all your requirements in his work. As a result, you will receive a unique product that meets all your wishes.

Production of postcards ready-made design take no more than 24 hours. However, if you want the company's specialists to develop an individual design for you, then it may take a little longer.

Of course, you can buy ready-made postcards and fill them out. But the postcards you like may not be in the right amount. In addition, they do not take into account any individual requirements. Most often, they do not provide a place for appeal (if there is text in the postcard). The text in a standard postcard is unified and does not contain information about your company. To fill postcards with text, you will have to spend extra time and money. Whereas, by ordering production from the Idea Print company, you will receive ready-made postcards with the desired text. It remains only to enter or type in the name of the person to whom the postcard is intended. In this case, a free space will be left under the name (if necessary).

The third option is to make postcards according to the template you provided. Perhaps you yourself know how to create a design, perhaps your company has a designer who designs printing and other products for the company in a single corporate identity. In this case, you will not need to pay extra for the design of postcards. They will simply be printed according to your templates.

Why is it worth ordering postcards from Idea Print?

Here are the main advantages of our company:

high speed of work;
optimal ratio of price and quality of finished products;
possibility of product delivery;
Individual approach to each client.

Depending on your wishes, the cost of services may vary. But the company does not overprice unreasonably. The higher price of the products may be due to individual design, higher quality materials, etc.

It is also worth noting that with a large circulation and constant cooperation, the cost of work for you can be reduced.

No design restrictions. Here you can print postcards according to the finished layout or use the services of our creative team. Thanks to their experience, creative vision, as well as wide production capabilities, we can offer absolutely any design solution for making postcards.
Efficiency. Do you need urgent postcard printing? Nothing is impossible for us. We will complete the work as quickly as possible - in front of you or on the day you contact us. Surcharge for urgency will cost inexpensively, + 50% and + 30% to the price according to the price list, respectively.
Post-press services. When making postcards, we offer an impressive range of additional services: cutting, embossing, hot stamping, lamination, creasing. Processing will cost you a modest amount. Our task is to print postcards at a price not exceeding the average for Moscow, so that aesthetics and finished goods didn't look cheap or tasteless.
Delivery Services. You can pick up the circulation yourself or use the offer of our courier service.

Now you know where to order beautiful postcards wholesale or by the piece with your own text cheaply and without loss in quality! Contact our phone managers

A postcard is a sheet printed edition of a given format, made by one- or two-sided printing on high-density paper. It may have a congratulatory, advertising, image or other orientation, contain illustrations, text and decorative graphic elements, associated with holidays, significant events or dates. The manufacture of this product provides various options printing and post-press processing. Therefore, it is the postcard that is considered the most full-color, bright and designer look non-periodic printing.
The appearance and quality of finished products depend on the definition of a number of production criteria and the technology of work.

Diagram 1. General components of the production of postcards

Knowing the general sequence of work, let's try to analyze the production stages, taking into account the existing options.

Development of design and preparation of the layout of the postcard

A modern postcard is considered not only as a printing product, but also as an artistic product with unique graphics and unusual decor elements. Artists, designers and typesetters are working on the creation of its layout, preparing the design that corresponds to the theme and purpose of future products. In this case, illustrations of a different nature can be used: author's drawings, reproductions, photos, collages, caricatures, etc. Possible individual development fonts, ornaments, adding text and more.
The determination of the priority size of products can be carried out both before and during the creation of the design. At the same stage, a decision is made about the presence or absence of the type of folding (folding), which is more often single and is performed in the middle, along the long side of the product.
The most common postcard formats are:

"Classic" 148x210mm (opened 297x210mm);
"Euro" 200x100mm (opening 200x200mm);
"FlyCards" 105x146mm ("one-page");
standard formats A4, A5 and A6 - folding and in a "single-page" version.

In some cases, the design of postcards of a non-standard format and using three-dimensional elements is developed.

Production technology

Officially, there are four main technologies for creating postcards:

high - used for the production of products with thin fonts, "written with a pen", openwork ornaments and other details, for the transfer of which a fine drawing is required;
deep - is the most popular and makes it easy to create multi-million copies. The main difference of this technology is the possibility of transferring shades not with the help of paint, but with the force of embossing (by means of the depth of pressing the printing needle);
flat - allows you to create ordinary smooth postcards, colorful and multi-color;
stencil - designed for the production of printing with an additional layer of paint, with the help of varnishing. Gives the opportunity to give products a smell and shine.

After determining the technology, the stage of direct production (manufacturing) of products follows.

Printing Method and Material Selection

Postcards can be created by offset, digital or silk-screen printing.

Scheme 2. Methods for printing postcards

Unlike silk-screen and offset printing methods, the digital printing method allows you to make adjustments to single copies of the product. It is used exclusively for small print runs. How more quantity created copies of products, the more profitable are offset and silk-screen printing.

Paper is selected according to the design, application method and planned finishing. Coated glossy or matte paper with a density of 250 g/m2 to 300 g/m2 is more commonly used. Thin cardboard and design materials can also be used.
The type of ink is determined in accordance with the printing method, the types of printed material (paper) and the desired quality of the resulting print. It is possible to use paints with the addition of varnish, which create the effect of a brilliant image and text that shimmers with gloss.