Craftarea

Business Card Production

Short answer

Producing a business card at Craftarea covers five stages: receiving or designing the artwork, technical preflight, digital printing on 300-350 gsm stock, post-press finishing, and trimming to exact size. Timing is agreed after the project review. Send the card dimensions, stock, printed sides, finish and quantity, required date and collection or delivery location.

With business cards, production means far more than printing — technical artwork preparation and post-press finishing often shape the final result more than the press pass itself. This page describes the whole cycle exactly as it runs at Craftarea: what we check in the artwork, where the most common mistakes appear, and which stages can extend the deadline. If you do not yet know which stock and finishing you need, the table below will help you choose.

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Key facts

Number of stages
5 — artwork to handover
Full cycle
Timing by agreement
Minimum run
100 pieces
Design service
Available if you have no artwork
Preflight
On every order, free
Control proof
On request, for large runs
Cutting accuracy
±0.5 mm
Quote
Timing by agreement

Stage 1 — Artwork: finished file or design from scratch

An order starts one of two ways. If you have finished artwork, a vector PDF, AI or EPS file in CMYK at 300 dpi with 2 mm bleed is enough. If you do not, we design from your logo and contact details — usually offering 2-3 options and then refining the chosen one. A vector logo (AI, EPS, SVG) is preferred; if you only have a raster version it needs to be at least 1000 pixels wide, otherwise edges blur in print.

Stage 2 — Preflight: where orders most often stall

Preflight is the technical check every file passes before printing. Five problems appear most often: RGB colour space instead of CMYK (colours go flat in print), missing bleed (a white sliver appears after trimming), text too close to the edge, unembedded fonts (the typeface substitutes on another machine), and low resolution. We do not charge separately for this check — if something is wrong we return the file with specific notes.

  • RGB → CMYK conversion
  • 2 mm bleed present
  • Text at least 3 mm from the edge
  • Fonts outlined
  • Resolution at least 300 dpi

Stages 3-5 — printing, finishing, cutting

Digital printing runs in CMYK on the chosen stock. For large runs and critical colours we print a control proof first and confirm it with you. Then comes post-press finishing — lamination, foiling or spot UV varnish, if ordered. The last stage is cutting: cards are trimmed to exact size with a ±0.5 mm tolerance, corners are rounded where requested, and the cards are packed in hundreds.

What extends the deadline

The most common cause of delay is a technical problem in the artwork — a correctly prepared file shortens the timeline noticeably. Timing is agreed after the project review. Send the card dimensions, stock, printed sides, finish and quantity, required date and collection or delivery location.

Production stages and timings

Production stages and timings
StageWhat it coversTime
Design (if needed)2-3 options, then refinementTiming by agreement
PreflightColour, bleed, fonts, dpiSame day
Digital printingCMYK 4+4 or 4+0Timing by agreement
LaminationMatte / gloss / soft-touchSame day
Foiling or spot UVSeparate technological passTiming by agreement
Cutting and packing±0.5 mm accuracySame day

How It Works

  1. 1

    Describe the order

    Tell us the run length, preferred stock and finishing — or simply describe the card you want.

  2. 2

    Artwork or design

    A finished file goes to preflight; if you order design we send 2-3 options.

  3. 3

    Approval

    We confirm the final artwork, stock and finishing. Changes after this point mean rescheduling the print run.

  4. 4

    Printing and finishing

    Digital printing, then lamination, foiling or spot UV according to the order.

  5. 5

    Cutting and handover

    Trimming to exact size, packing in hundreds, and handover in Tbilisi.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have no artwork — can you create it from scratch?
Yes. We need your logo (vector preferred) and contact details. We usually offer 2-3 design options and then refine the chosen one with your feedback.
Why is bleed necessary?
Paper shifts by fractions of a millimetre during cutting. If the background is exactly card-sized with no bleed, a white sliver appears at the edge. A 2 mm bleed removes that risk entirely.
Can I see a proof before the run?
Yes, for large runs and critical colours we print a control proof. This matters especially when a brand has a strictly defined corporate colour.
Why does the colour differ between screen and print?
A screen works in RGB and emits light, while printing reflects light using CMYK inks. Very bright blues, greens and oranges go slightly flatter in print — which is why artwork should be prepared in CMYK from the start.
Can you print cards for several people in one run?
Yes. Digital printing lets us print cards for multiple staff members in a single run — shared design, different names and contact details.
How are finished cards packed?
Cards are packed in hundreds in cellophane wrap; when the run covers several people, they are split into separate labelled packs.
How long do you keep the artwork?
We keep artwork so that a repeat order does not require preparing the file again — you only need to state the quantity.

Related Services

Business card printingBusiness card designArtwork preparationFast business cards

Ready to order?

Send your artwork, quantity and preferred deadline — we will confirm pricing and production details after reviewing the project.

Get a quote