Lighting & Studio

Optimizing Translucent Business Cards

Translucent business cards offer a fresh, unique look and feel, especially when customized with your own artwork.  Unlike more standard cards like silk business cards or glossy business cards, these are thin, frosted plastic business cards that can definitely help differentiate you and your company.  However, because these are unique by their very nature, there are a few considerations and best practices to keep in mind as you create your artwork files.

 

Treatment of White in Your Design Files

 

First and foremost, when it comes to full color artwork, translucent plastic business cards can accommodate all colors of the CMYK spectrum, with one exception – white.  In general, there is no 100% white (C=0%, M=0%, Y=0%, K=0%) ink printed on translucent frosted business cards.  Of course, you must verify this with your specific printing company; however this is the case with the vast majority of printers that handle translucent business cards.

Thus, any part of your artwork that is 100% white will not receive any ink and therefore will be completely translucent.  Said another way, if you want any part of your physical custom business cards to be completely translucent, make sure you have 100% white in those areas within your design file. 

If you do want something akin to a white background, then utilize a slightly off-white CMYK color (for example, C=2%, M=2%, Y=2%, K=0%).  A color like this will look white to the naked eye.

 

Design Considerations

 

Generally, frosted plastic business cards with completely translucent backgrounds look the best.  Light colored backgrounds work well too, just keep in mind that the darker the background color, the “dimmer” the translucent effect, which would seem to defeat the purpose.

Additionally, when creating your artwork, you would be well-served to remember that these cards are frosted, similar to the distorted translucency of a shower door.  Therefore, extremely small fonts or intricate designs are not recommended. 

Your best bet would be to make sure that all fonts and lines are at least 10pt.  This will help ensure that your custom business cards will not appear overly blurry due to the frosted translucency of the cardstock.    

 

Summary

To quickly sum it up, translucent business cards can provide an awesome “wow” effect that goes above and beyond more typical card products like glossy business cards or silk business cards.  The best frosted plastic business cards have completely translucent or very light-colored backgrounds, and have designs that feature comparatively simplistic image details and larger lines and fonts. 

So, there you have it.  Following these tips will help ensure that your files are optimized, which in turn will enable your translucent frosted business cards to turn out perfectly every time! 

 

About the Author

NexCards.com provides unique, fully customized business card products, including silk business cards, glossy ultra-violet, spot UV, metal, plastic, rounded corner, panoramic, custom cut, and much, much more. Our high quality business cards can be easily designed online, or you can upload your own design file – the choice is yours. Competitive pricing, superior customer service, and a comprehensive satisfaction guarantee that is unmatched in the industry have helped make NexCards.com one of Internet’s leading providers of ultra-premium business cards.

What is the white surface of a light box made of?

I am trying to build my own light box, but am having a difficult time finding an adequate translucent white surface. What is the name of the material that if used in professional light boxes? Where can I find some? Is there a good alternative material that has the same perfect milky surface without absorbing too much light? I tried using paper, but its density is far too inconsistent and its surface far too textured.

I’m an illustrator who built my own light box. All you need is ‘Acrylic Sign White’ plastic. Sign White is a milky white, semi-transparent color of plastic that is used on many, many outdoor business signs that light up at night. Look in the yellow pages under ‘Plastic’ or ‘Fiberglass’ or ‘Windows’ or ‘Glass’ and tell them you are looking for Acrylic plastic in Sign White color. They’ll know what you mean. Trust me. I’ve also made several large outdoor signs for businesses. You want a thickness of 1/4 inch. They may ask you if you want ‘Plexiglass’. That is okay. Plexiglass is just a brand name. Acrylic is the type of plastic.

Have fun!!! :O))