Well-made black business cards can look very striking and help your company stand out from the rest.

Considerations for Business Cards with a Black Background

Well-made black business cards can look very striking and help your company stand out from the rest. Unfortunately, a lot of things can go wrong when you try to print black backgrounds. Poor business card printing could result in cards that have streaks, blotches, and graying. Another potential problem with black cards is over saturation, which means that the paper takes longer to dry; problems occur when glossy finishes are put on before the cards are fully dry. Here are some things to consider when doing black business card printing.

Use Rich Black  
Offset printers use a combination of four colors to create any color you need. These colors are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). If a printer only uses black ink to print black cards, the problems stated above might occur. Instead, ask the printer for rich black, which can be created using a combination of the four colors, making your business cards look very attractive and avoiding any streaking problems.

Consult Your Printer  
There are different amounts of each color to use in making rich black. Consult with your printer to find out which combination is best for the type of material you want to print your business cards on. You will need a different combination for paper than you would for plastic or silk.

Do Not Fill in Black in Photoshop  
When designing your business cards in Photoshop, avoid using the "Fill" button to fill in black areas. Doing so asks for 100% of each color ink to be used and can result in over saturated business cards.

Use Wider Spaces Between Type  
When you have black cards, you will need to use reverse type, leaving your text white and printing black around the typeface. Another option is to print in a light colored metallic ink like silver. Light colors are more difficult to read because the letters tend to blend together, so make sure your designer puts more space between each letter for readability.

Use Easy to Read Typeface  
In addition to putting more space between type, increase readability by choosing type that is not too complicated. Make sure you test the readability of your business cards before you give the go ahead for production.

Black business card printing is a cheap way to create a unique look, but make sure to create them correctly. Nothing is worse than ordering 500 business cards that look less than professional. And remember, if you have any questions simply ask your printing company; they are more than capable of making sure your business cards turn out just the way you intend.

Related Articles

Business Card Printing

PrintPlace.com can take your business to new heights! Capitalize on high quality business card printing at low prices every day. Shop our business cards and see for yourself.

Shop Business Cards