Color Postcard Printers : Cheap?

[Andy Kitkowski]

Hey all, a very simple and quick request.

Was wondering if anyone worked with a traditional (not POD) printer which also prints postcards?  I'm looking for someone inexpensive (priority) and of "medium or higher" quality (doesn't have to be gorgeous) for a summer project. I want to go with traditional publishing to keep bulk costs down to as very little as possible.

Thanks!
-Andy

[Eero Tuovinen]

Ah hah, coincidentally we have similar plans for our publications this summer. My brother Markku tells me that www.printplace.com is his favourite as regards postcard printing; this has nothing to do with printing experience at this point, though, he just likes how they have clear and professional pricing information on their pages. Apparently we're going to try them out for our own project.

[Andy Kitkowski]

Ohhh, that's a pretty slick one. 1000 front/back 4 color for $75? Sweet.

Feel free for others to chime in with their recommendations.

-Andy

[iago]

VistaPrint has done very well by me.  I use them to print the Dresden Files RPG promo cards.

[Double King]

Andy,

you're really not going to be able to beat 4x6.  This should at least be your touchstone for pricing and quality, regardless of the final decision:

http://4by6.com/#

maybe also try

http://www.print100.com/global/cgi/main.aspx

don't forget moo for alternative formats

http://www.moo.com/


best of luck

[Andy Kitkowski]

Thanks for the followup responses!

-Andy

[Double King]

As a follow up to this and my earlier post, i got the following in my inbox from 4x6 today.  Pretty good deal:


Get $25 off everything.

If you've always wanted to show off your work with a full-color postcard, or have ever felt like upgrading your old black and white business card to dazzling color, the time is now.

Until September 2nd receive $25 off any order. That's right! Take $25 off every order--any card size, any finish, any quantity.

Use the discount code SUMMER25 when you place your order. Sale ends Tuesday September 2nd.


Example Sale Pricing
500 Satin Business Cards – $140 $115
500 Satin 4x6 Postcards – $155 $130
500 4/4 4x6 Postcards – $110 $85
1000 4/4 4x6 Postcards – $175 now $150


http://4by6.com/

[Adam Riemenschneider]

A pair of DJ/club promoters I work with pointed me at this company. I haven't personally used them yet, but plan on using them for my Gen Con club cards (4x6).

Their auto-quote calculator thingie shows that you can get:
14pt gloss cover
4 color *both sides*
Quantity: 1000
Turnaround: 6 days
Price: $85!!!

Quantity: 2000, everything else the same, is $116.

http://www.uprinting.com/print/Club-Card-Flyers.html

Regular shipping (UPS Ground) looks to be about $20, at least to my location in Minnesota.

Worth looking into, IMHO.

[Adam Riemenschneider]

Just wanted to peek back into this thread and report on my experience with PS Print, which I decided on over UPrint (for better price break on the flyers, when I jacked the quantity up to their minimum, which is 2500). I got both my 4x6's and my bookmarks in a week from the day of ordering. Print and cutting quality is dead on. Only issue at all is that the flyers at the top of the box had a little squishing at the edges, from bouncing around a little.

Point is, if one were to act fairly quickly, one could place an order today and still have 'em in time for Gen Con.

-adam

[Eero Tuovinen]

I'd report on our Print Place order of 2000 cards as well, but it's still on the way. We got the materials to them on Monday, so they should arrive in Chicago next week. We'll see how it goes.

[guildofblades]

We've used Print Place a couple times before. Not for post cards but rather for various sized fliers. If you ever print onto their 70lb uncoated text stock it'll come out splotchy and ugly because they seem to be using a very cheap brand of 70lb stock. But anything printed onto their coated stocks comes out looking good.

Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Retail Group - http://www.guildofblades.com/retailgroup.php
Guild of Blades Publishing Group - http://www.guildofblades.com
1483 Online - http://www.1483online.com

[Kerin]

I've had awesome experiences with GotPrint (dot com) over the years - maybe give them a shot?