An explanation of your options when using commercial printing companies.  

Below are some definition of some of the types of printing techniques that are offered by printing companies (both local and online).  Please see our article entitled Special Printing Techniques and Enhancements

Full Color Business Card Printing
This is the option you need if you are using photographs or photographic effects in your cards.  This type of printing is sometimes called "process color printing", "four-color printing" or "CMYK printing" as the inks used are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK - K is black here).  These four inks, when printed using this technique, are sufficient to reproduce a full range of colors. Most online printing services (Vistaprint, 123Print, Overnightprints, etc.) use this technique as they can print almost everyone's designs the same way in bulk. 

Particularily when ordering online, full-color printing is an economical choice.  Some local printers do not do CMYK in house, and you may find the cost to be significantly higher than online or high-volume business card services.  Additional enhancements to this type of printing are glossy finish, thicker paper, and aqueous coating (a protective waterbased sealant that protects the surface of the card).

Pros: Can reproduce photographic images; an economical way to get colorful cards.
Cons: Small type in shades of colors can be fuzzy; Super-bright, florescent, or metallic colors impossible to achieve with this technique alone.

Spot Color Printing
When your design is made up of one or two colors only, such as simple black ink cards or cards designed in your company'scolors, spot color printing can be a good choice.  When people refer to 1,2, or 3 color printing, they mean this type of printing which uses pre-mixed inks - one for each color - to print the card.  The Pantone Matching Sytem (PMS) is the most commonly used method of identifying the exact color to be printed for each ink.  When you go to a printer to chose your colors, they will show you a book of swatches and you will be able to select the exact ink colors for your card.

While this type of printing can be expensive when using mulitple colors, it will be relatively less if you are printing multiple items at once (letterhead, envelopes, labels, etc.).  You also will have the option of using florescent or metallic inks.  Unlike four-color process printing, small type in any color (as long as it's not a percentage tint) will print clearly.

Pros: Exact color matching; crisp text even in small sizes; ability to use very bright, florescent, and metallic inks.
Cons: Can be more expensive especially with multiple inks; cannot reproduce photographic images


Thermographic or Raised Ink Printing
This type of printing is actually an enhanced version of Spot Color printing.  It produces a raised effect to the printed areas of the card, which is noticeable by both sight and touch.  This process was developed as a less expensive alternative to engraving.  Many printshops that specialize in business cards (both online and local) offer fairly inexpensive single color raised ink business cards.  Raised ink printing is usually done with one or two color printed jobs, with all of the ink raised.  Techinically, only certain colors or areas could be raised if the job was designed that way (for example flat ink everywhere except the logo) 

Pros: Widely available; not very expensive way to get a textured card
Cons: Can look dated; cannot reproduce photographic images