Laminated business cards can have a superb finish and look. It's important to get samples from your supplier, as there are a few flavours and some suppliers may use a very thin piece of card, which is then printed and sealed in the laminate.
Once the card has been sealed, there's no quick way of seeing what material was used. You should ideally be looking for a card that is 335gsm or 350gsm. When this is laminated the effect can be superb. Lamination should not be confused with 'encapsulation', which is basically a plastic pouch that is then heated to seal the edges.
Encapsulated products, (I.D. cards, maps etc.) often use quite a thick plastic. With laminated cards, (providing they have been produced by a good supplier) the lamination is pretty much invisible, in fact in most cases you would need to try and tear the card before you realised it was laminated.
How are laminated cards produced?
Usually, the cards are first printed, (multiple cards on a large sheet), and then fed through the laminating unit which feeds a very thin sheet of laminate top & bottom, (or one side only) trapping the card in between. Heat is applied which seals the laminate sandwich.
Why laminated?
As an example, let's say you have a 2 sided business card that needs producing. Let's also say you decide, on the card reverse, to have a solid colour completely covering the card. The printer will take your artwork and 'plan' it into blocks of 4, 6, 8, 10 or even up to 40 cards per block, depending on the quantity ordered.
The card (block) is fed through the printing press and exits into a tray at the end. So, the top of each card will have the bottom of the next card resting on top. If the bottom (reverse) of the next card has been completely covered in ink, it's perfectly possible for a little of this ink to 'transfer' to the card below thereby marking the tops of all cards in the stack.
To overcome the wet ink problem, the press operator will utilise spray powder, which lightly sprays each card as it comes off the press, which effectively helps the drying process. Unbelieveably, some colour inks take longer to dry than others, certains reds & blues for instance, which means that they can still end up in a slightly wet state.
Another option from protecting the card from ink-offset (transfer of ink) is to 'seal' the work with a very light covering of machine varnish. The card however, can be left with a slightly glossy sheen.
The most effective way is for lamination. The cards are produced normally and given extra time to dry before each card (block) is sealed in the laminate.
This process totally protects the card from any ink-offset but also enhances the card. If you can get your local printer to show you a solid colour printed on a card with, and without lamination, then you will immediately see the difference and realise why so many people are switching to this type of card, even though extra costs are involved.
In fact, whether you have used a solid block of colour or not, a laminated card will really give your artwork an extra-professional look.
Matt or Gloss laminated business cards?
Both have their uses. If you're advertising a product or service on your card, or merely wish to make your card really stand out then gloss laminated business cards will be the preferred choice. Many tradesmen use this type of 'advertising' business card as do taxi-drivers, cleaning service companies, mobile hairdressers etc. etc. Many D.I.Y stores, supermarkets etc. will allow you to display your card (for a small fee), alongside every other type of service imaginable, on the store notice board. So, if it's important for your card to stand out from the rest, a full-colour, gloss laminated card would be the perfect choice.
Where subtlety is more desirable, as in corporate business cards then matt-laminated business cards are the preferred choice. If buying online, I would suggest you ask your supplier, before purchasing, what weight of card is used. Many reputable printers will offer a 350gsm or 400gsm board, which means a very thin laminate will be used. Some printers who offer the cheaper laminated card will use a thin 200gsm or 250gsm board, which means a thicker (cheaper) laminate will have to be used to thicken the card. Some of these cards cannot compare to the quality cards that use the thinner laminate. As usual, ask for samples before committing yourself.
What to consider when buying laminated cards.
Firstly, ask for samples. Also ask what weight card is used. If you're paying the extra money for laminated cards, then go for the best. Buying cards for one person in your company can be fairly expensive, so wherever possible, try and have more than one name printed at a time as this will normally entitle you to a 'block' discount.
When you've located a good supplier, stick with them, as results can vary from printer to printer.
Supplying artwork to your laminated business card supplier.
From an artwork point of view, laminated business cards can be treated in exactly the same way as you would for standard litho-printed business cards.
