Local vs Online Printing
By Mike Bannoura
If you search for business card printing online, you will find prices as low as $10 for 250 cards from companies like Vistaprint, GotPrint, or 4Over. That sounds like a great deal until you factor in the tradeoffs: 7 to 10 day turnaround, no proof approval before printing, limited paper stock options, no way to talk to a human if something goes wrong, and shipping costs that erode the savings.
Local print shops like PostNet Denver charge more per unit, but the total value is often better. You get same-day turnaround, free file review, proof approval before we print, premium paper stocks, and a real person you can talk to face-to-face. If your business cards come out wrong from an online printer, you wait another 10 days for a reprint. If they come out wrong at PostNet, we fix them the same day at no charge.
Color accuracy is another major difference. PostNet Denver is G7 Master Certified, which means our color output is calibrated to match industry standards. Fewer than 1,000 printing facilities in the United States hold this certification. When you send us a file with your brand's exact Pantone or CMYK color, it prints correctly every time. Online printers typically print on high-volume offset presses where color consistency varies from batch to batch.
Online printing makes sense in specific situations: very large quantity orders (5,000 plus) where the per-unit savings add up significantly, orders with no deadline pressure, and simple products with no customization. If you are ordering 10,000 postcards for a national direct mail campaign and have 2 weeks lead time, an online printer may save you money.
Local printing makes sense for everything else: rush orders, small to medium quantities, complex finishing (scoring, folding, die-cutting, binding), projects where color accuracy matters, and any situation where you want to see a proof before committing to a full run. Most Denver businesses we serve order quantities between 100 and 1,000, where the per-unit price difference between local and online is minimal once you factor in shipping and time.
At PostNet Denver, business cards start at $30 for 100 and are ready same day. We offer 6 paper stocks, square or rounded corners, and custom sizes. You can order online at postnetdenver.com and pick up at our shop at 1312 17th Street, or walk in and we will help you design your cards on the spot. Visit postnetdenver.com/why-postnet for a full comparison.
