Professional Printing Services

The Skinny: Basic guidelines for experienced designers appear in the dropdown sections on this page. These cover essential file setup requirements—ideal if you're preparing files via an online design marketplace or similar tool.

The Nitty Gritty: For deeper explanations, each dropdown includes a PDF attachment with detailed guidance on the topic. Use this if you need more background on the design or printing process.

Questions? Contact us anytime—we're happy to help!

Proofing & Ordering Guidelines

1. Physical Printed Proofs
We strongly recommend ordering a physical printed proof before your full production run. It lets you evaluate color, paper stock, texture, finish, and overall appearance exactly as your final piece will look. Proofs and full orders are placed separately.

2. File Review for Quality
To deliver the best results, our print specialists review every file for compliance with our requirements. To prevent delays, please carefully check the design file guidelines before submitting.

3. Print Proof Approval for Full Orders
When placing your full order, enter the proof order number to approve and reuse the same approved file.

4. Digital Proofs
Digital proofs are available for checking content, layout, text, and overall design. They do not accurately represent final paper stock, color accuracy, texture, finish, white ink, ink density, or substrate appearance. Screen colors are approximate only—your device’s settings, calibration, and limitations affect brightness, contrast, and detail. We guarantee printing on the selected paper with the chosen ink colors, but no screen can perfectly match the final printed result.

5. Ink Options
We print in black, full color, white ink, and white ink underlay. See
🌿Designing for White Ink for full details.

6. Variable Data
We offer free variable data merging for envelopes and place cards. See The Basics of Variable Data below for more information.

7. Production Quality
We use professional printing presses along with precision cutting and scoring equipment, staying within standard industry tolerances.

8. Processing Time
Orders are processed in 3–5 business days after we receive your order or final proof approval. Times may vary with seasonal demand or order size. We do not currently offer rush production.

9. Shipping
Shipping times, including expedited/rush shipping options, affect transit time after your order ships—they do not include processing time.

10. Discounts
Volume and trade discounts are available as listed on each product page.

Need Help? Questions? Contact us anytime—we’re here to assist!

The perfect start to your special day begins with exceptional paper sourced from the world’s finest mills. Explore our extensive range of premium paper and envelopes to design a fully customized solution tailored to your unique vision!

🌿Paper Collections for Printing

File Type: PDF

File Type for Advanced White Ink
PDF/x-1a:2001 or X-1a:2003 required

Minimum Resolution:300 dpi

Max File Size: 50 MB

File Background: Transparent

FONT SIZES & WEIGHTS

• Be careful using fonts that are too small. Anything smaller than 8 pt. may be difficult to read. 
• What is true about small fonts is also true of fonts, strokes and lines that are very thin or light.
• Small, thin and light fonts may look perfectly fine on your computer screen, but may not be the outcome you are looking for when printed. This is especially true if the ink color is lighter or the paper color is darker.

FONTS & STROKES

• Outline custom fonts and strokes to prevent substitution or missing characters during printing.
• We recommend outlining whenever exact font appearance is critical—some fonts (even embedded ones) may not transfer correctly.
• Important: Always keep your original file with live (editable) fonts separate. Save a copy, outline that version for printing, and use the outlined copy to create your PDF. Overwriting the original will make text layers uneditable.
• Submit the outlined PDF for your order.

White ink on colored paper, cardstock, and envelopes remains a top design choice—stunning results that are surprisingly easy to achieve.

Solid-Core Colored Paper vs. Printed Solid Background Choose solid-core colored cardstock over printing a solid-color background on white paper. Benefits include:

• A truly custom, premium look and feel that ink alone can't replicate.
• Solid color on both sides and all edges—no visible white showing when viewed from the side or during folding/handling.
• Especially ideal for rich, matte backgrounds that feel luxurious and professional.

Easy White-Only Printing (Beginner-Friendly) No special file setup needed! Design your artwork in black ink only—we translate 100% black to 100% white ink on press. Vary opacity for subtle effects or bold coverage. See 🌿  🌿Printable PDF-Designing for White Only for full details and examples.

Advanced Option: White Ink Underlay for Colored Inks For pro designers using InDesign, Illustrator, or similar: Layer white ink beneath colored (CMYK) elements to prevent paper color from shifting or dulling your printed hues. Result: Vibrant, true-to-intent colors even on dark or richly toned stocks. See  🌿Printable PDF- White Ink Advanced Options for setup instructions.

Pro Tip Pair your white-inked pieces with our premium colored envelopes—addressed in crisp white—for an elegant, cohesive presentation that makes a memorable first impression.

ALL WHITE INK OPTION (Easy Level)

• This is the simplest way to print in white ink—no spot channels, no advanced software needed.

  • White Ink Only Prints your entire design (text, shapes, graphics) using white ink exclusively. You can use varying percentages of white—from light/tinted effects to 100% opaque—for creative control.
  • White Text We recommend text to be 100% black (100% K). Avoid very thin or small text.

   

  File Setup Requirements

  • Design your file using black ink only (100% black = 100% white ink on press).
  • Text should be 100% black
  • No spot colors or special channels required.
  • Submit as a standard CMYK PDF.

  For step-by-step instructions and examples, download the detailed PDF guide.

Your file looks like this:	Your envelope looks like this!

🌿Printable PDF-Designing for White Only

WHITE INK + CMYK (Advanced Level)

• White Ink 100% + CMYK – 

Prints 100% opaque white behind all CMYK elements (except true black areas). This underlay preserves color vibrancy and prevents the paper from showing through colored inks.

• White Ink Varied % + CMYK

Gives full control: Apply varying percentages of white ink as standalone elements or selectively behind specific CMYK areas. You decide exact placement and opacity levels.

Important Note: 

• Advanced white ink requires proper file setup (e.g., spot channels for white). It is not compatible with our complimentary variable data merge service.
• For detailed setup instructions, including software-specific steps, download the PDF guide.

🌿Printable PDF- White Ink Advanced Options

Learn how to order custom printed cards and envelopes from Cardstock Warehouse. This guide walks you through selecting your product size, paper type, and design options to create the perfect printed cards for your needs.

View the tutorial videos below to learn about ordering Printed Cards and Envelopes.

1. See How to Submit Your Variable Data below for detailed instructions on using variable data template files.
2. File Review
   When requesting variable data on a custom design file, the File Requirements (listed above) apply to all items, including envelopes, place cards, and escort cards. Our print specialists review every submitted file to confirm it meets standards, however, to avoid delays, please double-check the design file requirements before ordering.
3. Proofing Variable Data
   Follow the template instructions and carefully review your data (names, table numbers, etc.) before submission—accuracy prevents issues downstream.

• We send a merged PDF proof for your approval prior to printing. Proof approval is required before a job is released for printing.
  
• Includes initial setup + up to 2 free revisions for font style or formatting (delivered as PDF).
  
• Additional revisions: $10 per change
  
• Thoroughly proofread the PDF Proof we send—errors can occur during our data input, so your careful review is critical.

Additional Notes:

Proof Order Expiration

• If we need additional information or file corrections, your proof order stays active for 30 days from the date we contact you.
  
• If the requested items aren’t provided within that window, the order will be closed without refund. A new order will be required to resume processing.

Font Limitation

• Variable data merge is limited to our in-house fonts only. Custom fonts are not available for variable text fields.
  
• For other printing options that support custom fonts, see the Custom Fonts section.

Follow these steps to provide your variable data.

🌿Place Cards and Escort Cards

🌿Envelope Addressing

Variable Data Merge Templates are available on their respective product pages as well as below:

🌿Place Card / Escort Cards Excel Template

🌿Envelope Excel Template

This guide illustrates how card files containing variable data (different information) on each printed card should be formatted and paginated. Illustrations below are for both one-sided print (Simplex) and two-sided print (Duplex).

🌿Variable Merge Orientation Guide - PDF

Printable PDF-Font Options

When choosing to have us merge your variable data, you will choose from the following font options. CMYK colors can be provided for color ink printing.

Note: Advanced White Ink Printing options (White + Black/CMYK) are not available with this option.

ENVELOPE PRINTING

Printable PDF

PLACE AND ESCORT CARD PRINTING

Printable PDF

1. Envelopes or Place Cards / Escort Cards containing custom fonts or advanced white ink printing (White + Black/CMYK) cannot use the variable merge option.
2. Designs using custom fonts or advanced white ink printing must be submitted as a merged and properly formatted pdf file.