Edge Painted Business Cards

Business cards with colour applied to the exposed edges, making the thickness of the selected stock a visible part of the design.

Printing: HP Indigo printing Finish: Painted edges on selected heavier card stocks.
Production: Additional finishing time follows artwork, stock and colour approval.
Files: PDF only, set up in CMYK, with 1/8-inch bleed on all sides and crop marks. Specify the edge colour separately.

About this product

Edge Painted Business Cards combine full-colour professional printing with a secondary finishing process applied to the exposed edges of the completed card. The added edge colour allows the physical thickness of the stock to become an active part of the finished design.

The process is available on selected heavier stocks including Natural Smooth 28pt and 34pt, Cotton Warm White 20pt and 40pt, Silk 36pt and Soft-Touch 36pt. Stock thickness and surface construction influence both the visual strength and character of the painted edge.

A range of standard and metallic edge colours is available. Because edge painting is a physical finishing process, minor variation in coverage may occur, particularly around corners and textured substrates. Online colour samples should be treated as visual references rather than exact colour standards.

Close-up of stacked white cotton business cards with copper-painted edges. — Painted colour on the exposed card edges; shown in a close view.

Edge Painting Specifications

Finish: Custom edge colour applied as a secondary finishing process to the exposed perimeter of the completed business card, creating a continuous colour accent visible across the thickness of the stock.

Compatible Stocks: Available on selected heavier stocks with sufficient edge depth for effective colour presentation: Natural Smooth 28pt, Natural Smooth 34pt, Cotton Warm White 20pt, Cotton Warm White 40pt, Silk 36pt and Soft-Touch 36pt.

Available Edge Colours: Black, Red, Green, Cobalt Blue, Pink, Gold, Copper, Rose Gold, Yellow and Lavender.

Edge Characteristics: The visual strength of the edge colour is influenced by stock thickness, surface construction and base paper colour. Thicker stocks generally produce a more prominent edge band, while uncoated, laminated and cotton substrates can each produce slightly different edge characteristics.

Application Behaviour: Edge painting is a physical finishing process rather than a printed face element. Minor variation in coverage, density or edge appearance can occur between individual cards and around corners as part of normal production tolerances.

Metallic Colours: Gold, Copper and Rose Gold should be considered metallic finishing colours. Their appearance changes with illumination and viewing angle and cannot be accurately represented by RGB or HEX colour swatches displayed on a monitor.

Colour Matching: Online colour samples are visual references only and should not be treated as contract colour standards. Where precise coordination with a brand colour is required, colour expectations should be reviewed before production.

Artwork Relationship: Standard front and back artwork does not require a separate edge-paint file. The edge colour is specified independently from the printed artwork unless a custom production requirement has been arranged.

Prepress & Production Standards

Printing: Full-colour, double-sided production is completed on the selected stock before edge painting and final finishing.

Artwork: Supply a press-ready PDF in CMYK at final trim size, with 1/8-inch bleed on all sides and crop marks. Keep important text inside safe margins, embed or outline fonts, and use production-quality image resolution. Artwork should be considered independently from the edge colour unless the design intentionally coordinates printed elements with the finished edge.

Colour: Set print artwork to CMYK before exporting the PDF. Identify any spot colours or colour-critical elements for production review. Printed face colour and painted edge colour are produced through different processes and should not be expected to reproduce identically.

Edge-to-Face Coordination: When artwork uses a colour intended to visually coordinate with the painted edge, slight differences in hue, density, gloss and reflectance should be expected because ink on the card surface and paint on the exposed edge interact with different materials and viewing angles.

Proofing: Digital PDF proofing is available for checking artwork, layout, trim position and general prepress accuracy. A PDF proof cannot reproduce the physical appearance, reflectance, coverage or exact colour of the finished painted edge.

Trim & Registration: Cutting and edge finishing are subject to normal commercial production tolerances. Designs incorporating narrow borders, frames or elements positioned very close to the trim edge should allow sufficient safety margin for normal converting variation.

Stock Considerations: Uncoated cotton and natural stocks may absorb or interact with edge colour differently from laminated stocks. Minor differences in density and edge texture are inherent to the combination of substrate and finishing process.

Handling & Durability: Edge paint is applied to an exposed surface and may show gradual wear through repeated handling, particularly at corners and high-contact areas. This is a normal characteristic of edge-finished cards rather than a laminated face surface.

Production Time: Edge painting requires additional finishing beyond standard printed business cards. Turnaround may therefore be longer than standard card production and begins after artwork, stock and edge-colour approval.